About the Book

Purchase of this book includes free trial access to www.million-books.com where you can read more than a million books for free. This is an OCR edition with typos. Excerpt from book: AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF THE AUTHOR. My grandfather was James Finlay, a merchant in Glasgow, who founded the mercantile house of James Finlay and Co. My father, John Finlay, raised a number of men for a regiment of the line and entered the army as a lieutenant. After his regiment was disbanded he entered the Royal Engineers, and served in the West Indies and the campaign in Holland. Major John Finlay was a F. R. S., and died in 1802. I was born on the aist December 1799, near Faversham, where my father resided, being then inspector of the government powder mills at that place and at Waltham Abbey. My mother subsequently married Alexander MacGregor, a merchant of Liverpool. I have always ascribed my love of history to my mother's reading to me at an early age the history of England, and explaining it in a way to make it interesting to a child. It made me think, and understanding came long afterwards to work on the materials supplied by memory. After I had passed three years at a boarding-school near Liverpool, Mr. MacGregor was compelled to go to America during the war, and I was removed to the house of my uncle, Kirkman Finlay, the head of the house of James Finlay and Co., and then M.P. for the Glasgow district of burghs. My education was carried on along with my cousins under a private tutor, and I found that my time at the English boarding-school had been very unprofitably employed. Summer was now a happy period, for it was passed at the mouth of the Clyde, where it widens into a salt-water lake. Boating, fishing, and wandering about the hills, affordedinexhaustible amusement then, and often supply thought with pleasant memories. Mr. K. Finlay, considering his numerous occupations and great activity, contrived to pass a good deal of time with his family. He was a man of a chee...

Product Details

Media: Paperback Book, 366 pages

Language: English

Publisher: General Books (Aug. 31st, 2009)

ISBN-10: 0217425372

ISBN-13: 9780217425377

Dimensions: 9.02 x 6.00 x 0.82 inches

Shipping Weight: 1.18 lbs

• Categories: Not Classifiable