[Sidenote:  I was obliged to give this up in consequence of my own misfortunes.]

November 26.—­The court met late, and sat till one; detained from that hour till four o’clock, being engaged in the perplexed affairs of Mr. James Stewart of Brugh.  This young gentleman is heir to a property of better than L1000 a year in Orkney.  His mother married very young, and was wife, mother, and widow in the course of the first year.  Being unfortunately under the direction of a careless agent, she was unlucky enough to embarrass her own affairs by many transactions with this person.  I was asked to accept the situation of one of the son’s curators; and trust to clear out his affairs and hers—­at least I will not fail for want of application.  I have lent her L300 on a second (and therefore doubtful) security over her house in Newington, bought for L1000, and on which L600 is already secured.  I have no connection with the family except that of compassion, and may not be rewarded even by thanks when the young man comes of age.  I have known my father often so treated by those whom he had laboured to serve.  But if we do not run some hazard in our attempts to do good, where is the merit of them?  So I will bring through my Orkney laird if I can.  Dined at home quiet with Lady S. and Anne.

November 27.—­Some time since John Murray entered into a contract with my son-in-law, John G. Lockhart, giving him on certain ample conditions the management and editorship of the Quarterly Review, for which they could certainly scarcely find a fitter person, both from talents and character.  It seems that Barrow[38] and one or two stagers have taken alarm at Lockhart’s character as a satirist, and his supposed accession to some of the freaks in Blackwood’s Magazine, and down comes young D’Israeli[39] to Scotland imploring Lockhart to make interest with my friends in London to remove objections, and so forth.  I have no idea of telling all and sundry that my son-in-law is not a slanderer, or a silly thoughtless lad, although he was six or seven years ago engaged in some light satires.  I only wrote to Heber and to Southey—­the first upon the subject of the reports which had startled Murray, (the most timorous, as Byron called him, of all God’s booksellers), and such a letter as he may show Barrow if he judges proper.  To Southey I wrote more generally, acquainting him of my son’s appointment to the Editorship, and mentioning his qualifications, touching, at the same time, on his very slight connection with Blackwood’s Magazine, and his innocence as to those gambades which may have given offence, and which, I fear, they may ascribe too truly to an eccentric neighbour of their own.  I also mentioned that I had heard nothing of the affair until the month of October.  I am concerned that Southey should know this; for, having been at the Lakes in September, I would not have him suppose that I had been using interest with Canning or Ellis to