June 21, [Edinburgh].—­Wrote to Walter a long letter.  The day continued dropping occasionally, but Sir Adam was in high fooling, and we had an amazing deal of laughing.  We stole a look at the Kiery Craigs between showers.  In the meantime George Cheape and his son came in.  We dined at half-past three, but it was seven ere we set off, and did not reach the house in Shandwick Place till eleven at night.  Thus ended our Club for the year 1830, its thirteenth anniversary.  Its numbers were diminished by absence and indisposition, but its spirit was unabated.

June 22.—­Finished proofs and some copy in the morning.  Returned at noon, and might have laboured a good day’s work, but was dull, drowsy, and indolent, and could not, at least did not, write above half a page.  It was a day lost, and indeed it is always with me the consequence of mental indolence for a day or two, so I had a succession of eating and dozing, which I am ashamed of, for there was nothing to hinder me but “thick-coming fancies.”  Pshaw, rabbit un!

June 23.—­Worked well this morning, and then to Court.  At two called on Mr. Gibson, and find him disposed for an instalment.  Cadell has L10,000, and Gibson thinks L12,000 will pay 2s. 6d.  I wish it could be made three shillings, which would be L15,000.

Presided at a meeting of the Bannatyne Club.  The Whigs made a strong party to admit Kennedy of Dunure, which set aside Lord Medwyn, who had been longer on the roll of candidates.  If politics get into this Club it will ruin the literary purpose of the meeting, and the general good-humour with which it has gone on.  I think it better to take the thing good-humouredly, and several of them volunteered to say that Medwyn must be the next, which will finish all a l’aimable.  If it come to party-work I will cut and run.  Confound it! my eyes are closing now, even now, at half-past four.

Dined with Lord Medwyn, a pleasant party.  The guest of importance, Mrs. Peter Latouche from Dublin, a fine old dame, who must have been beautiful when young, being pleasant and comely at seventy,—­saintly it appears.

June 24.—­Hard work with Ballantyne’s proofs and revises, but got them accomplished.  I am at the twelfth hour, but I think I shall finish this silly book before the tenth of July.

Notwithstanding this sage resolution I did not write half a page of the said Demonology this day.  I went to the Court, called on Mr. Cadell, returned dog-tired, and trifled my time with reading the trial of Corder.  What seemed most singular was his love to talk of the young woman he had murdered, in such a manner as to insinuate the circumstances of his own crime, which is a kind of necessity which seems to haunt conscience-struck men.  Charles Sharpe came in at night and supped with us.

June 25.—­Slept little later than I should.  The proofs occupied the morning.  The Court and walk home detained me till two.  When I returned, set to work and reached page 210 of copy.  There is little or nothing else to say.  Skene was with me for a few minutes.  I called at Cadell’s also, who thinks a dividend of 3s. per pound will be made out.[381] This will be one-half of the whole debts, and leave a sinking fund for the rest about L10,000 a year “if the beast live and the branks bide hale."[382]