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ON one of the Saturdays in May,
1835, Lord Provost William Mills of Glasgow was seen near the Royal
Exchange talking to a man, who, from his outward appearance, seemed to be
a chimney-sweeper. The provost and the sweep appeared to be deeply engaged
on some interesting subject, and were seen describing with the point of an
old nail the inclinations and curvatures of certain vents or flues
which might be swept by means of the newly in-vented machine which was to
supersede the climbing boys, as the unlucky urchins who had to
ascend the chimneys were called.
A crowd very soon collected round
the provost and the sweep, wondering,
no doubt, what
the ill-matched pair had to do with one another. But so
intent was his lordship on the subject under discussion, that he seemed to
be quite unconscious of any person being present save the man with whom he
was talking, until a policeman came forward, and in the true Celtic twang
rudely ordered his lordship to
"Dismiss !"
"What !" said the provost,
surprised, "do you know to whom you speak
?"
"No, she’ll did not," answered
Donald, "neither did she’ll care. Her orders was not to let peoples stand
upon the plainstane causey, causing a crowd, and if she wadna gang awa’,
she wad put ta offish upon her—shust in a minute."
It is needless to say that the
provost, good-naturedly yielding to a law of his own sanctioning, walked
of, glad, no doubt, to find that the police establishment was filled with
such uncompromising and faithful servants. |
