"حياة ومراسلات اللواء السير جون مالكوم، قائد فرسان وسام الطُهر، المبعوث السابق إلى بلاد فارس وحاكم بومباي؛ من رسائل ومذكرات غير منشورة. في مجلّدين. المجلد II." [‎٥‎٨‎٥] (٦٥٤/٦٠٢)

BANQUET TO THE u THREE KNIGHTS.
how the absent members of the family, Gilbert, Sir
Charles, and the ladies at Burnfoot, were toasted each
in turn with a " largeness of an overflow" of genuine
feeling seldom present at such, public demonstrations. It
was an evening memorable in the annals of Langholm,
the good people ot which crowned the occasion by taking
the horses from Sir Pulteny's carriage, in which the
" three knights had seated themselves on their return
to Burnfoot, and dragging them beyond the precincts of
the town.
And this was no political demonstration. Sir John
Malcolm at this time was canvassing the Dumfries bo
roughs, but the promoters of the entertainment to the
three knights had no thought of contributing to the
success of the canvass, nor did they who participated in
it ever dream of advancing the interests of a party. It
was purely a token of respect for the men themselves;
of attachment to the family to which they belonged; and
of genuine pride in the reputation of the three heroes
who had done so much to make Eskdale famous.
A day or two after this banquet at Langholm, Sir
John Malcolm returned to London. With what feelings
he contemplated the picture of affairs in his native
county, and his prospect or no prospect of being re
turned in the new Parliament for the Dumfries boroughs,
may be gathered from the following passages, extracted
from letters written at this time to his friends and sup
porters :
" August Ai. —I shall persevere in my object, but I mean to
pursue it by no crooked ways. I have no large landed possessions,
and I seek no place, profit, or enjoyment from being a member
of the House of Commons. I have no party feelings to gratify,
and no spirit of rivalry with individuals that can make success or
failure the cause either of happiness or discomfort. Parliament
^vill bring to me annoyance and trouble. It will, iu all proba-