ng　of　a　ship　of　many　tons　burthen。　　Doubtless　the　brothers　had　an　interest　in　the　vessel；　I　was　told　she　had　belonged　to　them　outright；　and　the　picture　was　preserved　through　years　of　hardship；　and　remains　to　this　day　in　the　possession　of　the　family；　the　only　memorial　of　my　great…　grandsire　Alan。　　It　was　on　this　ship　that　he　sailed　on　his　last　adventure；　summoned　to　the　West　Indies　by　Hugh。　　An　agent　had　proved　unfaithful　on　a　serious　scale；　and　it　used　to　be　told　me　in　my　childhood　how　the　brothers　pursued　him　from　one　island　to　another　in　an　open　boat；　were　exposed　to　the　pernicious　dews　of　the　tropics；　and　simultaneously　struck　down。　　The　dates　and　places　of　their　deaths　（now　before　me）　would　seem　to　indicate　a　more　scattered　and　prolonged　pursuit：　Hugh；　on　the　16th　April　1774；　in　Tobago；　within　sight　of　Trinidad；　Alan；　so　late　as　26th　May；　and　so　far　away　as　‘Santt　Kittes；'　in　the　Leeward　Islands　…　both；　says　the　family　Bible；　‘of　a　fiver'（！）。　　The　death　of　Hugh　was　probably　announced　by　Alan　in　a　letter；　to　which　we　may　refer　the　details　of　the　open　boat　and　the　dew。　　Thus；　at　least；　in　something　like　the　course　of　post；　both　were　called　away；　the　one　twenty…five；　the　other　twenty…two；　their　brief　generation　became　extinct；　their　short…lived　house　fell　with　them；　and　‘in　these　lawless　parts　and　lawless　times'　…　the　words　are　my　grandfather's　…　their　property　was　stolen　or　became　involved。　　Many　years　later；　I　understand　some　small　recovery　to　have　been　made；　but　at　the　moment　almost　the　whole　means　of　the　family　seem　to　have　perished　with　the　young　merchants。　　On　the　27th　April；　eleven　days　after　Hugh　Stevenson；　twenty…nine　before　Alan；　died　David　Lillie；　the　Deacon　of　the　Wrights；　so　that　mother　and　son　were　orphaned　in　one　month。　　Thus；　from　a　few　scraps　of　paper　bearing　little　beyond　dates；　we　construct　the　outlines　of　the　tragedy　that　shadowed　the　cradle　of　Robert　Stevenson。
  Jean　Lillie　was　a　young　woman　of　strong　sense；　well　fitted　to　contend　with　poverty；　and　of　a　pious　disposition；　which　it　is　like　that　these　misfortunes　heated。　　Like　so　many　other　widowed　Scots…women；　she　vowed　her　son　should　wag　his　head　in　a　pulpit；　but　her　means　were　inadequate　to　her　ambition。　　A　charity　school；　and　some　time　under　a　Mr。　M'Intyre；　‘a　famous　linguist；'　were　all　she　could　afford　in　the　way　of　education　to　the　would…be　minister。　　He　learned　no　Greek；　in　one　place　he　mentions　that　the　Orations　of　Cicero　were　his　highest　book　in　Latin；　in　another　that　he　had　'delighted'　in　Virgil　and　Horace；　but　his　delight　could　never　have　been　scholarly。　　This　appears　to　have　been　the　whole　of　his　training　previous　to　an　event　which　changed　his　own　destiny　and　moulded　that　of　his　descendants　…　the　second　marriage　of　his　mother。
  There　was　a　Merchant…Burgess　of　Edinburgh　of　the　name　of　Thomas　Smith。　　The　Smith　pedigree　has　been　traced　a　little　more　particularly　than　the　Stevensons'；　with　a　similar　dearth　of　illustrious　names。　　One　character　seems　to　have　appeared；　indeed；　for　a　moment　at　the　wings　of　history：　a　skipper　of　Dundee　who　smuggled　over　some　Jacobite　big…wig　at　the　time　of　the　'Fifteen；　and　was　afterwards　drowned　in　Dundee　harbour　while　going　on　board　his　ship。　　With　this　exception；　the　generations　of　the　Smiths　present　no　conceivable　interest　even　to　a　descendant；　and　Thomas；　of　Edinburgh；　was　the　first　to　issue　from　respectable　obscurity。　　His　father；　a　skipper　out　of　Broughty　Ferry；　was　drowned　at　sea　while　Thomas　was　still　young。　　He　seems　to　have　owned　a　ship　or　two　…　whalers；　I　suppose；　or　coasters　…　and　to　have　been　a　member　of　the　Dundee　Trinity　House；　whatever　that　implies。　　On　his　death　the　widow　remained　in　Broughty；　and　the　son　came　to　push　his　future　in　Edinburgh。　　There　is　a　story　told　of　him　in　the　family　which　I　repeat　here　because　I　shall　have　to　tell　later　on　a　similar；　but　more　perfectly　authenticated；　experience　of　his　stepson；　Robert　Stevenson。　　Word　reached　Thomas　that　his　mother　was　unwell；　and　he　prepared　to　leave　for　Broughty　on　the　morrow。　It　was　between　two　and　three　in　the　morning；　and　the　early　northern　daylight　was　already　clear；　when　he　awoke　and　beheld　the　curtains　at　the　bed…foot　drawn　aside　and　his　mother　appear　in　the　interval；　smile　upon　him　for　a　moment；　and　then　vanish。　The　sequel　is　stereo…type；　he　took　the　time　by　his　watch；　and　arrived　at　Broughty　to　learn　it　was　the　very　moment　of　her　death。　　The　incident　is　at　least　curious　in　having　happened　to　such　a　person　…　as　the　tale　is　being　told　of　him。　　In　all　else；　he　appears　as　a　man　ardent；　passionate；　practical；　designed　for　affairs　and　prospering　in　them　far　beyond　the　average。　　He　founded　a　solid　business　in　lamps　and　oils；　and　was　the　sole　proprietor　of　a　concern　called　the　Greenside　Company's　Works　…　‘a　multifarious　concern　it　was；'　writes　my　cousin；　Professor　Swan；　‘of　tinsmiths；　coppersmiths；　brass…　founders；　blacksmiths；　and　japanners。'　　He　was　also；　it　seems；　a　shipowner　and　underwriter。　　He　built　himself　‘a　land'　…　Nos。　1　and　2　Baxter's　Place；　then　no　such　unfashionable　neighbourhood　…　and　died；　leaving　his　only　son　in　easy　circumstances；　and　giving　to　his　three　surviving　daughters　portions　of　five　thousand　pounds　and　upwards。　　There　is　no　standard　of　success　in　life；　but　in　one　of　its　meanings；　this　is　to　succeed。
  In　what　we　know　of　his　opinions；　he　makes　a　figure　highly　characteristic　of　the　time。　　A　high　Tory　and　patriot；　a　captain　…　so　I　find　it　in　my　notes　…　of　Edinburgh　Spearmen；　and　on　duty　in　the　Castle　during　the　Muir　and　Palmer　troubles；　he　bequeathed　to　his　descendants　a　bloodless　sword　and　a　somewhat　violent　tradition；　both　long　preserved。　　The　judge　who　sat　on　Muir　and　Palmer；　the　famous　Braxfield；　let　fall　from　the　bench　the　OBITER　DICTUM　…　‘I　never　liked　the　French　all　my　days；　but　now　I　hate　them。'　　If　Thomas　Smith；　the　Edinburgh　Spearman；　were　in　court；　he　must　have　been　tempted　to　applaud。　　The　people　of　that　land　were　his　abhorrence；　he　loathed　Buonaparte　like　Antichrist。　　Towards　the　end　he　fell　into　a　kind　of　dotage；　his　family　must　entertain　him　with　games　of　tin　soldiers；　which　he　took　a　childish　pleasure　to　array　and　overset；　but　those　who　played　with　him　must　be　upon　their　guard；　for　if　his　side；　which　was　always　that　of　the　English　against　the　French；　should　chance　to　be　defeated；　there　would　be　trouble　in　Baxter's　Place。　　For　these　opinions　he　may　almost　be　said　to　have　suffered。　　Baptised　and　brought　up　in　the　Church　of　Scotland；　he　had；　upon　some　conscientious　scruple；　joined　the　communion　of　the　Baptists。　　Like　other　Nonconformists；　these　were　inclined　to　the　Liberal　side　in　politics；　and；　at　least　in　the　beginning；　regarded　Buonaparte　as　a　deliverer。　　From　the　time　of　his　joining　the　Spearmen；　Thomas　Smith　became　in　consequence　a　bugbear　to　his　brethren　in　the　faith。　　　‘They　that　take　the　sword　shall　perish　with　the　sword；'　they　told　him；　they　gave　him　‘no　rest'；　‘his　position　became　intolerable'；　it　was　plain　he　must　choose　between　his　political　and　his　religious　tenets；　and　in　the　last　years　of　his　life；　about　1812；　he　returned　to　the　Church　of　his　fathers。
  August　1786　was　the　date　of　his　chief　advancement；　when；　having　designed　a　system　of　oil　lights　to　take　the　place　of　the　primitive　coal　fires　before　in　use；　he　was　dubbed　engineer　to　the　newly…formed　Board　of　Northern　Lighthouses。　　Not　only　were　his　fortunes　bettered　by　the　appointment；　but　he　was　introduced　to　a　new　and　wider　field　for　the　exercise　of　his　abilities；　and　a　new　way　of　life　highly　agreeable　to　his　active　constitution。　　He　seems　to　have　rejoiced　in　the　long　journeys；　and　to　have　combined　them　with　the　practice　of　field　sports。　　‘A　tall；　stout　man　coming　ashore　with　his　gun　over　his　arm'　…　so　he　was　described　to　my　father　…　the　only　description　that　has　come　down　to　me　by　a　light…keeper　old　in　the　service。　　Nor　did　this　change　come　alone。　　On　the　9th　July　of　the　same　year；　Thomas　Smith　had　been　left　for　the　second　time　a　widower。　　As　he　was　still　but　thirty…three　years　old；　prospering　in　his　affairs；　newly　advanced　in　the　world；　and　encumbered　at　the　time　with　a　family　of　children；　five　in　number；　it　was　natural　that　he　should　entertain　the　notion　of　another　wife。　　Expeditious　in　business；　he　was　no　less　so　in　his　choice；　and　it　was　not　later　than　June　1787　…　for　my　grandfather　is　described　as　still　in　his　fifteenth　year　…　that　he　married　the　widow　of　Alan　Stevenson。
  The　perilous　experiment　of　bringing　together　two　families　for　once　succeeded。　　Mr。　Smith's　two　eldest　daughters；　Jean　and　Janet；　fervent　in　piety；　unwearied　in　kind　deeds；　were　well　qualified　both　to　appreciate　and　to　attract　the　stepmother；　and　her　son；　on　the　other　hand；　seems　to　have　found　immediate　favour　in　the　eyes　of　Mr。　Smith。　　It　is；　perhaps；　easy　to　exaggerate　the　ready…made　resemblances；　the　tired　woman　must　have　done　much　to　fashion　girls　who　were　under　ten；　the　man；　lusty　and　opinionated；　must　have　stamped　a　strong　impression　on　the　boy　of　fifteen。　　But　the　cleavage　of　the　family　was　too　marked；　the　identity　of　character　and　interest　produced　between　the　two　men　on　the　one　hand；　and　the　three　women　on　the　other；　was　too　complete　to　have　been　the　result　of　influence　alone。　　Particular　bonds　of　union　must　have　pre…existed　on　each　side。　　And　there　is　no　doubt　that　the