Mr Tytler's brother-in-law, Mr
Hog,[101] recorded the fact on which this address was founded in his
diary at the time. "Peter tells a delightful anecdote of Cossack, an
Isle of Skye terrier, which belonged originally to his brother at
Aldourie. It was amazingly fond of his children, one of which, having
fallen on the gravel and hurt itself, began to cry out. Cossack tried in
vain to comfort it by leaping upon it and licking its face. Finding all
his efforts to pacify the child fruitless, he ran off to a mountain-ash
tree, and leaping up, pulled a branch of red _rowan_ berries and carried
it in his mouth to the child."

HORACE WALPOLE'S PET DOG ROSETTE.

Horace Walpole, writing to Lord Nuneham in November 1773,[102]
says:--"The rest of my time has been employed in nursing Rosette--alas!
to no purpose. After suffering dreadfully for a fortnight from the time
she was seized at Nuneham, she has only languished till about ten days
ago. As I have nothing to fill my letter, I will send you her epitaph;
it has no merit, for it is an imitation, but in coming from the heart if
ever epitaph did, and therefore your dogmanity will not dislike it--

'Sweetest roses of the year,
Strew around my Rose's bier,
Calmly may the dust repose
Of my pretty, faithful Rose!
And if yon cloud-topp'd hill[103] behind
This frame dissolved, this breath resign'd,
Some happier isle, some humbler heaven,
Be to my trembling wishes given;
Admitted to that equal sky,
May sweet Rose bear me company!'"

ARRIVAL OF TONTON, A PET DOG, TO WALPOLE.--TONTON DOES NOT UNDERSTAND
ENGLISH.

Horace Walpole, in May 1781,[104] had announced Tonton's arrival to his
correspondent, the Hon. H. S. Conway. He says:--"I brought him this
morning to take possession of his new villa, but his inauguration has
not been at all pacific. As he has already found out that he may be as
despotic as at St Joseph's, he began with exiling my beautiful little
cat, upon which, however, we shall not quite agree. He then flew at one
of my dogs, who returned it by biting his foot till it bled, but was
severely beaten for it. I immediately rung for Margaret (his
housekeeper) to dress his foot; but in the midst of my tribulation could
not keep my countenance, for she cried, 'Poor little thing; he does not
understand my language!' I hope she will not recollect, too, that he is
a Papist!" In a postscript he tells the general that Tonton "is a
cavalier, and