‘My desire to know Horner,’ Sydney Smith states, ’arose from my being cautioned against him by some excellent and feeble-minded people to whom I brought letters of introduction, and who represented him as a person of violent political opinions.’  Sydney Smith interpreted this to mean that Horner was a man who thought for himself; who loved truth better than he loved Dundas (Lord Melville), then the tyrant of Scotland.  ’It is very curious to consider,’ Sydney Smith wrote, in addressing Lady Holland, in 1817, ’in what manner Horner gained, in so extraordinary a degree, the affections of such a number of persons of both sexes, all ages, parties, and ranks in society; for he was not remarkably good tempered, nor particularly lively and agreeable; and an inflexible politician on the unpopular side.  The causes are, his high character for probity, honour, and talents; his fine countenance; the benevolent interest he took in the concerns of all his friends; his simple and gentlemanlike manners; his untimely death.’  ’Grave, studious, honourable, kind, everything Horner did,’ says Lord Cockburn, ’was marked by thoughtfulness and kindness;’ a beautiful character, which was exhibited but briefly to his contemporaries, but long remembered after his death.

Henry Brougham was another of the Edinburgh band of young spirits.  He was educated in the High School under Luke Fraser, the tutor who trained Walter Scott and Francis Jeffrey.  Brougham used to be pointed out ’as the fellow who had beat the master.’  He had dared to differ with Fraser, a hot pedant, on some piece of Latinity.  Fraser, irritated, punished the rebel, and thought the matter ended.  But the next day ‘Harry,’ as they called him, appeared, loaded with books, renewed the charge, and forced Luke to own that he was beaten.  ‘It was then,’ says Lord Cockburn, ’that I first saw him.’

After remaining two years in Edinburgh, Sydney Smith went southwards to marry a former schoolfellow of his sister Maria’s—­a Miss Pybus, to whom he had been attached and engaged at a very early period of his life.  The young lady, who was of West Indian descent, had some fortune; but her husband’s only stock, on which to begin housekeeping, consisted of six silver tea-spoons, worn away with use.  One day he rushed into the room and threw these attenuated articles into her lap—­’There, Kate, I give you all my fortune, you lucky girl!’

With the small dot, and the thin silver-spoons, the young couple set up housekeeping in the ‘garret end of the earth.’  Their first difficulty was to know how money could be obtained to begin with, for Mrs. Smith’s small fortune was settled on herself by her husband’s wish.  Two rows of pearls had been given her by her thoughtful mother.  These she converted into money, and obtained for them L500.  Several years afterwards, when visiting the shop at which she sold them, with Miss Vernon and Miss Fox, Mrs. Smith saw her pearls, every one of which she knew.  She asked what was the price.  ‘L1,500,’ was the reply.