on the road with the Glasgow carrier, who told them that news had
come, in the London Gazette, of a battle, in which the regiment that
Thomas had listed in was engaged, and had suffered loss both in rank
and file; none doubting that their head was in the number of the
slain, the whole family grat aloud, and came to the manse, bewailing
him as no more; and it afterwards turned out to be the case, making
it plain to me that there is a farseeing discernment in the spirit,
that reaches beyond the scope of our incarnate senses.

But the weight of the war did not end with these afflictions; for,
instead of the sorrow that the listing caused, and the anxiety
after, and the grief of the bloody tidings, operating as wholesome
admonition to our young men, the natural perversity of the human
heart was more and more manifested. A wonderful interest was raised
among us all to hear of what was going on in the world; insomuch,
that I myself was no longer contented with the relation of the news
of the month in the Scots Magazine, but joined with my father-in-
law, Mr Kibbock, to get a newspaper twice a-week from Edinburgh. As
for Lady Macadam, who being naturally an impatient woman, she had
one sent to her three times a-week from London, so that we had
something fresh five times every week; and the old papers were lent
out to the families who had friends in the wars. This was done on
my suggestion, hoping it would make all content with their peaceable
lot; but dominion for a time had been given to the power of
contrariness, and it had quite an opposite effect. It begot a
curiosity, egging on to enterprise; and, greatly to my sorrow, three
of the brawest lads in the parish, or in any parish, all in one day
took on with a party of the Scots Greys that were then lying in Ayr;
and nothing would satisfy the callans at Mr Lorimore's school, but,
instead of their innocent plays with girs, and shinties, and