Ogresses of this cast.  There are noble trees about the house.  Balcaskie put me in mind of poor Philip Anstruther, dead and gone many a long year since.  He was a fine, gallant, light-hearted young sailor.  I remember the story of his drawing on his father for some cash, which produced an angry letter from old Sir Robert, to which Philip replied, that if he did not know how to write like a gentleman, he did not desire any more of his correspondence.  Balcaskie is much dilapidated; but they are restoring the house in the good old style, with its terraces and yew-hedges.  The beastly fashion of bringing a bare ill-kept park up to your very doors seems going down.  We next visited with great pleasure the Church of St. Monans, which is under repair, designed to correspond strictly with the ancient plan, which is the solid, gloomy, but impressive Gothic It was built by David II., in the fulfilment of a vow made to St. Monan on the field of battle at Neville’s Cross.  One would have judged the king to be thankful for small mercies, for certainly St. Monan proved but an ineffective patron.

Mr. Hugh Cleghorn[532] dined at Charlton, and I saw him for the first time, having heard of him all my life.  He is an able man, has seen much, and speaks well.  Age has clawed him in his clutch, and he has become deaf.  There is also Captain Black of the navy, second lieutenant of the Mars at Trafalgar.  Villeneuve was brought on board that ship after the debate.  He had no expectation that the British fleet would have fought till they had formed a regular line.  Captain Black disowns the idea of the French and Spaniards being drawn up chequer form for resisting the British attack, and imputes the appearance of that array to sheer accident of weather.

June 18.—­We visited Wemyss Castle on our return to Kinghorn.  On the left, before descending to the coast, are considerable remains of a castle, called popularly the old castle, or Macduff’s Castle.  That of the Thane was situated at Kennochquay, at no great distance.  The front of Wemyss Castle, to the land, has been stripped entirely of its castellated appearance, and narrowly escaped a new front.  To the sea it has a noble situation, overhanging the red rocks; but even there the structure has been much modernised and tamed.  Interior is a good old house, with large oak staircases, family pictures, etc.  We were received by Captain Wemyss—­a gallant sea-captain, who could talk against a north-wester,—­by his wife Lady Emma, and her sister Lady Isabella—­beautiful women of the house of Errol, and vindicating its title to the handsome Hays.  We reached the Pettycur about half-past one, crossed to Edinburgh, and so ended our little excursion.  Of casualties we had only one:  Triton, the house-dog at Charlton, threw down Thomson and he had his wrist sprained.  A restive horse threatened to demolish our landau, but we got off for the fright.  Happily L.C.B. was not in our carriage.