April 25.—­Threatened to be carried down to vote at the election of a Collector of the Cess.[176] Resolved if I did go to carry my son with me, which would give me a double vote.

Had some disagreeable correspondence about this with Lord Minto and the Sheriff.

We had one or two persons at home in great wretchedness to dinner.  Lockhart’s looks showed the misery he felt.  I was not able to make any fight, and the evening went off as heavily as any I ever spent in the course of my life.

Finished my Turnpike business by getting the exceptionable clauses omitted, which would be good news to Darnick.  Put all the Mirror in proof and corrected it.  This is the contribution (part of it) to Mr. Reynolds’ and Heath’s Keepsake.  We dined at Richardson’s with the two chief Barons of England[177] and Scotland.[178] Odd enough, the one being a Scotsman and the other an Englishman.  Far the pleasantest day we have had; I suppose I am partial, but I think the lawyers beat the bishops, and the bishops beat the wits.

April 26.—­This morning I went to meet a remarkable man, Mr. Boyd of the house of Boyd, Benfield & Co., which broke for a very large sum at the beginning of the war.  Benfield went to the devil, I believe.  Boyd, a man of a very different stamp, went over to Paris to look after some large claims which his house had over the French Government.  They were such as it seems they could not disavow, however they might be disposed to do so.  But they used every effort, by foul means and fair, to induce Mr. Boyd to depart.  He was reduced to poverty; he was thrown into prison; and the most flattering prospects were, on the other hand, held out to him if he would compromise his claims.  His answer was uniform.  It was the property, he said, of his creditors, and he would die ere he resigned it.  His distresses were so great that a subscription was made among his Scottish friends, to which I was a contributor, through the request of poor Will Erskine.  After the peace of Paris the money was restored, and, faithful to the last, Boyd laid the whole at his creditors’ disposal; stating, at the same time, that he was penniless unless they consented to allow him a moderate sum in name of percentage, in consideration of twenty years of danger, poverty, and [exile], all of which evils he might have escaped by surrendering their right to the money.  Will it be believed that a muck-worm was base enough to refuse his consent to this deduction, alleging he had promised to his father, on his death-bed, never to compromise this debt.  The wretch, however, was overpowered by the execrations of all around him, and concurred, with others, in setting apart for Mr. Boyd a sum of L40,000 or L50,000 out of half a million of money.[179] This is a man to whom statues should be erected, and pilgrims should go to see him.  He is good-looking, but old and infirm.  Bright dark eyes and eyebrows contrast with his snowy hair, and all his features mark vigour of principle and resolution.  Mr. Morritt dined with us, and we did as well as in the circumstances could be expected.