He called his charger, a high-boned not overfed animal, Cadaver--a play upon accents, for he was a good classical scholar, and fond of quoting the Latin poets.

But he had no relish nor respect for the 'Modern languages,' particularly for that of our French neighbours, whom he looked upon as 'hereditary' enemies! My father and the colonel were both politicians, as well as scholars.

Reading a newspaper article in his presence one day, my father stopped short, handing the paper to him, and said, 'Colonel, here is a _French_ quotation, which you can translate better than I can,' 'No, sir!' said the colonel, 'I never learnt the language of the scoundrels!!!' The colonel was known as 'Col.

Sandy Sutherland,' and the men always called him _Colonel Sandy_.

He was a splendid specimen of the hale veteran, with a stentorian voice, and the last queue I remember to have seen." A correspondent kindly sends me from Aberdeenshire a humorous story, very much of the same sort as that of Colonel Erskine's servant, who considerately suggested to his master that "maybe an aith might relieve him[186]." My correspondent heard the story from the late Bishop Skinner.
It was among the experiences of his father, Bishop _John_ Skinner.