I am indebted for the following letters to the Rev. Dr. Lindsay Alexander.  If I wrote only for Scotsmen, it would be unnecessary to speak of Dr. Alexander as holding a place which he seems to me, ignorant as I am of Church disputes, to owe to his own high personal merit, and the independence which makes him free to think and to write as scarcely any clergyman fettered with the supposed claims of sect or denomination feels himself at liberty to do.  As our Dean got older we find him drawing more kindly to those whose Christianity was shown in other guise than in sectarian precision with some spice of persecution.

     23 Ainslie Place, Feb. 28, 1866.

I have found, as others have, the “Biblical Commentary” a very useful companion in sermon-writing.  It gives you the Scripture parallel passages bodily, and saves the trouble of turning backwards and forwards to find the marginal references and to examine their relevancy.  The work is published by Bagster, and he generally, I believe, gets his work pretty well done, and, so far as I can judge, it is judiciously selected, generally at least.

Now, dear Dr. Alexander, if you would accept of the copy of this work which I have sent, and accept it from me, and if it should prove a useful companion in your homiletical labours, I should feel much gratified.  Perhaps it may be a remembrance amongst your books, when years have passed away, of one in his grave who had a sincere regard for you, and who now signs himself, yours very faithfully,

     E.B.  RAMSAY.

     23 Ainslie Place, Jan. 11, 1866.

My dear Dr. Alexander—­You will not suppose me to be an advocate for the donkeyism of vestment ritual.  But I wish you not to have unfavourable impressions as regard our concern with such matters.  We have a canon declaratory on vestments, asserting the ordinary surplice, gown, hood, and stole.  It is stupidly worded, but the meaning is obvious.  I was vexed from your experience to hear of such foolish proceedings at Bridge of Allan, contrary to canon and to common sense....  The green part of the dress which caused your wonder, naturally enough, is not a freak of new vestments, but is a foolish way which the Glenalmond students have adopted of wearing the hood, which our Bishops (not without diversity of opinion) had granted for those who had been educated at our College.  It is a hood lined with green (Scottish thistle colour), and they have a way of wearing it in a manner which brings the coloured part in front.  Pray, pray, don’t think of answering this; it is merely to correct an unfavourable impression in one whose favourable opinion I much desiderate.  I cannot tell you the pleasure I had in your visit on Tuesday.—­With sincere regard, yours always, E.B.  RAMSAY.

     23 Ainslie Place, June 8, 1866.