Record

MS 30 - James Beattie, Professor of Moral Philosophy and Logic, poet, essayist and moral philosopher: papers
- 1 - James Beattie's copy letters

Collection	GB 0231 University of Aberdeen, Special Collections
Level	Item
Ref No	MS 30/1/145
Title	To Robert Arbuthnot, Edinburgh, from Aberdeen
Date	22 July 1778
Extent	2 Items
Administrative History	Robert Arbuthnot [1728-1803] was a member of a distinguished Jacobite/ Episcopalian family. He was brought up and later owned Haddo-Rattray House, north of Peterhead. He was a merchant and then a banker in the firm of Arbuthnot and Guthrie, which failed in 1772. He then moved to Edinburgh where he bacame secretary of the Board for the Encouragement of Manufacturies and Fisheries in Scotland. He befriended Beattie after Beattie moved to Aberdeen in 1758, and became for some years his principal poetic adviser and promoter. He negotiated on Beattie's behalf and often in conjuction with Sir William Forbes, with the booksellers over several of the publications
Description	Mrs Beattie continues to recover surprisingly well. The young man thrives and was today baptized by the name of Montagu following a promise of seven years standing. What Arbuthnot says of Sir Robert Keith gives Beattie great pleasure. Beattie spent two happy evenings with Arbuthnot son when he was in Aberdeen. Concerning monument to Thomson, Beattie explain general views on insscriptions. They should be perfectly simple, true and concise. Modern inscriptions are often a barbarous mixture of verse and prose, of Latin and English, of narration and commonplace morality. Thanks Arbutnot for candid opinion on Psalms and asks him to show this letter to Forbes. Lord Erroll's death is a great loss. Beattie owed him much and had the most sincere esteem and liking for him.
Access Status	Open
Physical Description	2 leaves folded, joined by a stitch; seal gone. Torn at edge
Publication Note	Published in "The Correspondence of James Beattie - Letters 1758-1775", ed. Roger J. Robinson

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