| 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
Alexander Kincaid [1734-1777] Edinburgh printer and bookseller, partner of John Bell 1768-71 |
| Description | Minstrel only arrived last week, having wandered to Glasgow. Given to Cochran [James Cochran of Murray and Cochran, printers in Edinburgh of the Scots Magazine] to print in quarto and send to Beattie for corrections. Should soon appear in Edinburgh and London. Has talked to Kincaid and Bell, and is sure that Beattie will be satisfied with bargain. Forbes, Arbuthnot and Gregory think Beattie should accept Kincaid's offer concerning Opus Magnum. Bell says they have only cleared £35 by first edition, assuming all sold, and actually there are forty or fifty left. Quickness of sale was wonderful , and entirely owing to animanted manner of writing |