during a considerable portion of his walk, and I
could not help remarking the cheerfulness and
courtesy with which his visits were in all cases
received. I learnt, however, from him afterwards
that he is by no means sanguine as to the general
effect of his ministrations; but that these people
have some depth of religious feeling is evident
from the eagerness they display for a certain
degree of church membership. The minister informing
me, that though living in Scotland they were
punctual in taking their infants across the border
to receive church baptism in the English
establishment; the Scottish Kirk declining to
receive them, on the plea of their heathen origin.
The people, moreover, even the children, could in
most instances read and write, and were well up
in their catechism. Some few hours previously
I was considering the advisability of hiding my
watch-guard, on coming into the village; but
a glance at the place assured me that it was
as safe there, if not safer, than in the main street
of Edinburgh. Having gone the round of
the village, I went according to invitation to
visit the king at his own residence, his daughter
(not knowing her Christian name, I will call her
Cleopatra) having intimated that a call would
be most acceptable after a short delay. His
majesty's residence was not distinguished by any
pretensions in external appearance beyond those
of his subjects; in its internal economy it was,
however, far superior, being remarkable for the
order and cleanliness that pervaded it in every
corner.

Notwithstanding her royal descent, Cleopatra
considered herself fully competent to the
discharge of all the domestic duties of the household,
consequently she dispensed with assistants.
A momentary thought suggested itself to me,
that the half-hour we had spent in perambulating
the village might have been occupied in preparing
the royal household for our reception, but
the cleanliness of walls, ceiling, and floor, the
almost excruciating polish of the candlesticks,
snuffers, fire-irons, and such-like metal
implements, the brilliance of the crockery, and the
immaculate snow of the bed linen (his majesty,
like some other monarchs, received in his sleeping
department), forbade any such depreciatory
conclusion. On the top of a well-worn family
Bible lay a pair of silver spectacles, and I took
advantage of this circumstance to open the
conversation by some remarks on the best treatment
of failing sight. The man was exceedingly
intelligent, and well up in that kind of
superficial reading that may be acquired from
the cheap periodical literature. Having made a
prelude, I went more directly to my particular
object.

"A peculiar name Faa, what is it from?"

"Ay, it's not Faa as you make it, it's F-a, then
a mark, and then another a, Fa'a."

"Indeed, and what is the meaning of the name?"
This question I put with the object of discovering
something relative to their peculiar
language.

"Its the name we have all borne since we
came to Scotland, two thousand years or more,
maybe three thousand. Ah! we were then a
great folk; now we are a small one, all our land
is taken from us, and our name is nothing,
though we have kept it since we came from
Egypt."

"What, you think you came from Egypt,
then?"

"Ay, yes, yes, yes; we're Egyptians I ken
weel. Some say we come from India, but it is
not so; the daughter of King Pharaoh came to
be Queen of Scotland. She married the king,
and the Fa'as came with her."

"It's a curious name. What is it from?"

"It's just Pharaoh, named shortlike, Fa'a,"

"But about Pharaoh's daughter; was it the
one that found Moses in the bulrushes that
married the King of Scotland?" I intended this
question as a test of his chronology.

"No, not so old as that; one syne then."

"What? Did she marry a Malcolm or a
James?"

"Oh no, no, no! afore that, his name was
Dakru. She was most the last of the Fa' as. The
Tomnies (query, Ptolomies?) came and drove
them out; some went to the south and some
to the north. It was she that brought the
stone of Scoon over with her. Ye have it now
in the British Museum, in Westminster Abbey,
I'm told. She brought it fu' of diamonds and
such."

"Where are the diamonds now?"

"They are in it now;" (but lest any
enterprising person should be inclined to test the
truth of this statement, he added) " but ye'll no
find them, not if ye break it all to bits, for they
are hid in it by her glamoury. She was a great
diviner. She was a wise, wise woman, and could
tell most all things. They balmed her and took
her to Newcastle, where she is."

(Can any antiquary inform me if any Queen
of Scotland lies at Newcastle. This to Notes
and Queries.)

I do not know whether our northern country-men
are aware of the origin of their vin de pays.
It seems that the Egyptian princess brought a
pocket-pistol with her.

" And it was she that brought the whisky
over, and tauld them how to make it. The
Egyptians always had whisky: the strong drink
stronger than wine you read of in the Bible."

"I have observed that most of you in Yetholm
have blue eyes, that is different from your people
generally."

"All the Fa'as have blue een, and if you look
you'll see that all the mummies of Pharaoh's
house have blue een, some painted and some in
glass put in them. All the Pharaohs of our
tribes had blue een."

"Then there were other Pharaohs, not of your
tribes?"

"Ah, yes, there were others that did not
speak our mouth."

"Oh, then you have a mouth?"

There was such a mixture of the fabulous
with what might have been actual truth in his
statements, that I became much interested in his
conversation, and what perhaps attracted me