devoting his leisure hours to the study of eastern languages. In the following year he was promoted on the recommendation of Sir William Bentinck to the office of surgeon and naturalist to the Commissioners appointed to survey the provinces of Mysore and Travancore. Writing to his father from Madras on March 23rd, 1801, Leyden says:-"In January I was appointed physician and naturalist to the Mysore survey, with a salary of £1000. The drawback upon that is, that I have to maintain an establishment of fifty pagans, to whom I have to pay wages. If you picture Johnie Armstrong and his merry men you will have no bad idea of my retinue, as, whenever I go into the country, besides several men on horseback, I have always a guard of spearmen on foot. Since I came I have been improving myself in Arabic and Persian, which I could read before, but did not know the pronunciation. I have also learned Malayalam, Mahratta, and Armenian, and am now at Sanserit, Telinga, and Canara. Lord William Bentinck has shown himself very much my friend, as well as Sir John Strange, Chief Justice. During this expedition he drew up several papers relating to the languages of Mysore, the geology of the district, and the diseases of the natives, which he communicated to Government. Towards the end of the year he went tho Seringapatam, and found it necessary to leave the survey on account of impaired health, brought on by severe hardships and excessive study. The following interesting letter to his father, written from Puloo Penang, November 20th, 1805, gives a graphic account of his travels and studies at this time. In it he mentions his first meeting with Colonel (afterwards Sir John) Malcolm, then resident at the Court of Mysore, who took a warm interest in Leyden's welfare. "There is nothing has given me so much uneasiness as the idea that you might either not have heard of me at all for some time or that you may have heard that I have been very ill, without being properly informed of the circumstances. I am extremely sorry never to have heard of you at all since my arrival in India. But I have been stationed on such out of the way service among the wilds and mountains of the Wynaad, Coorg, Mysore, and Coimbatore, that there is no wonder letters often missed me. As to how I like India, I am only sorry I did not arrive in it sooner. I have had great exertions to make in the study of languages, and-what will appear very strange, I daresay, to Mr Duncan, who I hope is well-I have acquired a very good knowledge of ten new ones since I came to India. And now I have only five more to learn till I come to the Chinese, where I mean to stop. After remaining some time in the woods of Mysore I fell ill of the seasoning fever, which was very severe, as I was very long in taking it; and during my illness, you will laugh to hear, I lived in one of the palaces of Tippoo Sultoun. I was glad to be relieved for some time from the fatigue and dangerous service of surveying the Kingdom of Mysore, in which I had been employed; and therefore got permission to visit the sea-coast, and make a seavoyage, which I thought would not only render me as strong as ever, but give me some time for study. I therefore went down to Malabar, but the stormy season had set in before my arival, and was there five months. I left in a black vessel for Puloo Penang, where I have just arrived, as strong as ever I was in my life. When I was ill at Seringapatam, the Persian Ambassador, Colonel Malcolm, arrived from Bengal. As soon as he heard that I was there, and that I was a Border man, he instantly came to see me without any ceremony, and as soon as I was able to move, carried me out to his Palace at Mysore, where I stayed with him till he was called to Bengal again. He has acted towards me in the kindest manner, and like a true friend, as indeed every person in this country has done, whose esteem is worth having." The kindness Leyden experienced while the guest of Colonel Malcolm tended greatly to improve his health. One morning his host-who had borrowed his poem the "Scenes of Infancy "-returned the volume with the following lines written in pencil: Thy muse, O Leyden, seeks no foreign clime, For deeds of fame, to twine her brow with bays; But finds at home whereon to build her rhyme, And patriot virtues sings in patriot lays. 'Tis songs like thine that lighten labour's toil, That rouse each generous feeling of the heart, That bind us closer to our native soil, And make it death from those we love to part. "Tis songs like thine that make each rugged wild, And barren heath, to Scotia's sons more dear, Than scenes o'er which fond nature partial smiled, And rob'd in verdure thro' the varied year. 'Tis songs like thine that spread the martial flame 'Mid Scotia's sons, and bid each youth aspire To rush on death, to gain a deathless name, And live in story like his glorious sire. While the clear Teviot thro' fair meads shall stray, On reading the verses over, Leyden exclaimed, "What! attack me at my own trade; this must not be. You, gentlemen," said he, addressing himself to two or three who were in the room," may go to breakfast, but I will neither eat nor drink until I have answered this fine compliment." He retired, and in less than half-an-hour returned with the following beautiful lines, addressed to Colonel Malcolm: Bred 'mid the heaths and mountain swains, Soft as I trac'd each woodland green, I sketch'd its charms with parting hand; That memory might each fairy scene Revive within this eastern land. Careless of fame, nor fond of praise, Enough for me if these impart The glow to patriot virtue dear; The free-born soul, the fearless heart, The spirit of the mountaineer. Torn from my native wilds afar, Enough for me if souls like thine, During Leyden's sojourn at Puloo Penang, or Prince of Wales Island, he cultivated the friendship of Philip Dundas, Governor of the Island, and Mr (afterwards Sir Stamford) Raffles, and was the guest of the latter. Here he remained for some months, and arranged the curious information he had collected during his travels concerning the language, literature, and descent of the Indo-Chinese tribes. This dissertation-his first contribution to Oriental literature was entitled, "On the Languages and Literature of the Indo-Chinese Nations." It was read before the Asiatic Society, and afterwards printed in the tenth volume of their "Transactions." In 1806 Leyden left Puloo Penang, and arrived at Calcutta after a voyage of nearly three weeks. On account of infirm health, he was for a time laid aside from more active duties, but continued his linguistic studies with unabated vigour. Not long after his merits were recognised by his election to the Professorship of the Hindustani language in Bengal College and his admission to the Asiatic Society. Here he enjoyed the friendship of Mr Henry Colebrooke, a most distinguished Orientalist, who was at that time president of the society. In a letter to Mr Archibald Constable, Mr Wil After holding the Professorship for some time, he was appointed by Lord Minto to the office of Judge of the twenty-four Pargunnahs of Calcutta. In January, 1809, after he had held this situation two years, he relinquished it, and was appointed one of the Commissioners of Requests in the city of Calcutta. In a letter to his parents dated August 20th, 1809, he he "had often in court to speak seven languages: Persian, Hindustani, Bengali, Arabic, Malayalam, Portuguese, English. says I suppose you all think that I might write you every day, or at least every fortnight; or rather that I have nothing to do but write away, sheet after sheet. But the fact is, I have more writing than ten Parish Ministers, and am often obliged to work from six till ten, both head and hand work, I am delighted with Lady Minto's attention. It was always my greatest ambition to get acquainted with that family. I have every reason to be pleasantly attached to Lord Minto, who treated me more like a son than anything else. I wish to God it were possible for you to get a farm on their lands. I will advance £200 or £300 whenever it can be accomplished." In 1810 Leyden was appointed deputy-secretary to the Asiatic Society, and in the same year contributed to the Society's "Transactions" a paper On the Rosheniah Sect and its Founder, Bayezid Ansari," the material for which he collected chiefly from Pushtu manuscripts. scripts. The last work which he published was his "Comparative Vocabulary of the Barma, Malayu, and Thai Languages." This was printed at Serampore in 1810, and was issued from the Mission Press of that city. The next important work from his pen (it was not published, however, till ten years after his death) was the result of his investigations in the Malay language. In the literature and traditions of the Malayan race he took a special interest. The work is entitled "Malay Annals: Translated from the Malay "Archibald Constable and his Literary Corr ́spondents," vol. i. p. 211. and historical introduction. Bugis in all nine books-truly an unprecedented undertaking when we remember that it was accomplished in little more than twelve months, amidst a diversity of pursuits, and frequently interrupted by periods of ill-health. LEYDEN'S MEMORIAL AT DENHOLM. The work was published in 1826. The last of his posthumous works was an interesting treatise entitled "A Sketch of Borneo," which was published at Batavia in 1814, and forms part of the seventh volume of the "Transactions of the Batavian Society of Arts and Sciences." In closing this record of the works Leyden has left to his native land and also to his adopted country, it is pleasing to remember Towards the close of the year 1810, Leyden resigned his appointment of Commissioner of Requests, and was promoted by Lord Minto to be Assay Master of the Calcutta Mint. In a letter to his father dated January 2nd, 1811, I must he writes: "I am getting very stout, and have been turning a great deal younger lately; and I must admit that there was some need for it, for my first four years in India might have made fourteen anywhere else. I can tell you I am a fine old grey-haired carl already, and if you were to see me, I am sure I should run a much greater chance of passing for your younger brother than for your son. I have got a better appointment as Assay Master of the Mint. Its chief value to me is that it enables me to apply more of my time to study, in order to see if I can rival that famous Solomon of whom we have heard so much. My obligations to Lord Minto will never have an end. now be confined to Calcutta, and there is an end of all my fine voyages and seafaring adventures that were like to rival those of Sinbad the Sailor." But alas! peaceful retirement was not to be his, for soon afterwards his services were required by Lord Minto in the expedition against Java, to perform the duties of interpreter and to assist in settling the government of the country. Placing the management of the Mint in the hands of his assistant, he left Calcutta and arrived in Java on August 4th, 1811. The British troops landed at a village six miles east of Batavia-Leyden being one of the first to leap into the surf and reach the land. Three days afterwards they entered the city without opposition. Janssens, the Dutch general, had withdrawn his forces and retired to a strong position at Fort Cornelis, about five miles up the country, whither they were pursued by the British troops and defeated after a hard combat. "Two days after the battle," says Boulger, "an event happened that dimmed the satisfaction of military success. The enthusiasm of Leyden had done something towards sustaining the resolution of Lord Minto, and his marked literary skill had given an attractive aspect to schemes for the elevation of Malay character, and, it might even be, for the resuscitation of a Malay administration. When the army marched south from Batavia to attack the enemy's positions, he remained in the city, not inactive, but energetically engaged in the examination of official documents, and in the search for material by means of which he might illustrate the system of government hitherto in force, and perhaps thus contribute to the simplification of the new government about to be established. His ardour allowed him no rest. The same spirit which impelled him to dash through the surf at Chillingching made him search the Dutch offices of Batavia with the closest care, so that none of their archives should escape him. The month was the hottest of the year; the fetid atmosphere of Batavia that Marshal Daendels had predicted would prove fatal to an English army, was at least fatal to one devoted seeker after knowledge. During his investigations he came upon a closed room, or 'go-down,' in one of the Dutch public officesnot the library, as has been stated. He forced open the door, and spent some time examining the papers on the shelves. He came out a stricken man, seized with that mysterious ague and fever for which doctors have discovered neither a name nor a cure, and which, not so many years later, attacked the illustrious Heber under very similar circumstances, and with an equally fatal result. Leyden entered the go-down" on the 25th August with the noise of the cannonade of Cornelis in his ears; two days later, he expired in the arms of his friend Raffles. Both Raffles and Lord Minto mourned his loss as that of a brother, and they laid him with their own hands in a grave in the Batavian cemetery, close to the very spot where, only a few years later, Olivia Raffles was to find her resting-place."* Thus died John Leyden, far from home and kindred; far from his native Teviotdale of which he had sung so sweetly. He was remembered with affection by many friends, who deeply lamented the loss of one in whom so many rare gifts were combined. But by none, except by Sir Walter Scott, was his loss bewailed with more sincerity than by Mr William Erskine, who, in an address delivered to the Literary Society, Bombay, paid a beautiful tribute to the memory of his friend :-" By his friends, the remembrance of his worth and genius, his unsuspecting simplicity of heart, the generous, manly independence of his character, his disdain of everything sordid or selfish, his tender faithful friendship must always be fondly cherished. The blank which his loss makes in eastern literature, we look in vain for one who can supply. But if the partiality of friendship does not mislead me, I would fondly hope that, though he is cut off in the midst of his plans, and while he had only cleared the way for his future exertions, if he died too soon for the world and his friendship, he has yet, by the originality of his researches and discoveries, formed an era in Oriental literature, and thereby lived long enough to attain one object of his noble ambition, and to leave behind him a name that will never die.' *Boulger's "The Life of Sir Stamford Raffles," pp. 131, 132. Thus we have followed the brilliant career of our celebrated Border poet and linguist from his birth in that Teviotdale village to his death in a far-off island of the Orient. The versatility of his genius is equalled only by his remarkable preseverance in spite of apparently unsurmountable difficulties, which he overcame as very few others could have done. We have followed his steps from infancy-but not to age, for he was cut off in the prime of life— at the early age of thirty-six. Even within that time he had acquired an extensive acquaintance of thirty-four languages, which indicates how marvellous were his powers of mental retention. Not only in languages, but also in antiquities, folk-lore and poetry, he excelled; and it is difficult to estimate what would have been the result had Leyden turned the vast resources of his powerful mind towards the study of Scottish antiquities and customs. But this, his native land, offered too small a sphere for him; in the East he found illimitable scope for his arduous researches. He died a martyr in the cause of knowledge; he offered himself a willing sacrifice upon its altar. It is further noteworthy that he was cut off in an expedition in which the British forces were endeavouring to extend the boundaries of empire, and in which Leyden sought to enlarge the boundaries of learning. Lastly, Leyden's memory is to be cherished on account of his intimate friendship with the greatest of all Border minstrels-Sir Walter Scott himself. Than Scott, none felt Leyden's death more keenly. To him the linguist had been more than brother. Their tastes were similar, but they chose different fields in which to work, and their tendencies developed according to this choice. His tribute to Leyden, Scott has left in a valuable memoir of our Borderer, communicated to the "Edinburgh Annual Register" for 1811. And when in 1814 he visited the scenery connected with Leyden's ballad The Mermaid, Scott sadly recorded his thoughts on his friend in the well-known lines contained in "The Lord of the Isles ": The clans of Jura's rugged coast And Scarba's isle, whose tortured shore And lonely Colonsay: Scenes sung by him who sings no more! Has Leyden's cold remains! : 199 A SUMMER MOON ON THE A RADIANT moon mirrors the hidden sun, The lands that look to him for life and health, CHANGES. THERE isn't a stream in the Border land but there's music in its roar, There isn't a wall in the battled hall but is There isn't a holm where the plough-share runs, There isn't a vale but has a tale of chivalrous And there are spots held sacred yet where the brave old martyrs fell, There are lonesome glens remote and wild where only the laverocks sing, But their music sweet ne'er tempts the feet in the fairies' magic ring. There's a bonnie brig ower the burn at the ford where the kelpies lingered lang; The auld ash tree where the bogles met in the waur o' the lightning's fang; The auld square Toor that was haunted lang wi' the deeds o' wrath and crime, Is crumbling fast in the winter's blast and the cauldrife hand o' time. The creepy tales that were often told to beguile the gloaming 'oors Are a' forgot by the hamely folk far oot on the lonely moors, The auld-word sangs are heard nae mair, the airs have melted away, Like the last sad strain o' the lark's refrain when autumn creeps o'er the brae. The broonie nae langer creeps cautiously roon' the wa's o' the auld ferm toon, Nor plies his hook on the corn rigs in the light o' the gowden moon; A' gang canny aboot their work content wi' their ain gear, Wi' never a glint o' a bluid-stained sword nor the sight o' a Border spear. Only the hills remain unchanged-high, rounded, steep, and green, And aye wi' the same auld-fashioned sangs the burnies row between, We love them yet as they did of yore wha sleep in their lonely graves, Where only the heath birds wail and scream, and only the heather waves. BLUE BELL. |