ke with much satisfaction and
gratitude of his relations with the family of Buccleugh. Several of
the traditional anecdotes of Smith's absence of mind are localised at
Dalkeith House. Lord Brougham, for example, has preserved a story of
Smith breaking out at dinner into a strong condemnation of the public
conduct of some leading statesman of the day, then suddenly stopping
short on perceiving that statesman's nearest relation on the opposite
side of the table, and presently losing self-recollection again and
muttering to himself, "Deil care, deil care, it's all true." Or there
is the less pointed story told by Archdeacon Sinclair of another
occasion when Smith was dining at Dalkeith, and two sons of Lord
Dorchester were of the company. The conversation all turned on Lord
Dorchester's estates and Lord Dorchester's affairs, and at last Smith
interposed and said, "Pray, who is Lord Dorchester? I have never heard
so much of him before." The former anecdote shows at once that Smith
was in the habit of speaking his mind with considerable plainness, and
that he shrank at the same time from everything like personal
discourtesy; and the latter, like other stories of his absence of
mind, is hardly worth repeating, except for showing that he continued
to possess a redeeming infirmity.

From Dalkeith Smith returns to Kirkcaldy and his work. We find him in
1768 in correspondence with the Duke's law-agent, Mr. A. Campbell,
W.S., and with Sir James Johnstone of Westerhall, about some
investigation, apparently of no public importance, into the genealogy
of the Scotts, in connection with which he first got Campbell to make
a search in the charter-room of Dalkeith for ancient papers connected
with the Scotts of Thirlestane, and then wanted to know the
explanation Sir James Johnstone had given of Scott of Davington's
claim as heir of Rennaldburn upon the Duke of Buccleugh.[210] It shows
Smith, however, taking an interest, as if he were entitled to do so,
in the business affairs of the Duke. We find him too in correspondence
with Lord Hailes on historical points of some consequence to the
economic inquiries he was now busy upon. Lord Hailes was one of the
precursors of sound historical investigation in this country, and to
Smith, with whom he was long intimate, he afterwards paid the curious
compliment of translating his letter to Strahan on the death of Hume
into Latin.

Of Smith's correspondence with Hailes only two letters have been