Page:A biographical dictionary of eminent Scotsmen, vol 3.djvu/182

210 Mr Durham's first marriage has been noticed in the early part of this sketch His second wife was the widow of the famous Zachary Boyd, and third daughter of William Mure of Glanderston, in Renfrewshire. This lady seems to have survived him many years, and to have been a zealous keeper of conventicles. Several of her sufferings on this account are noticed by Wodrow in his History.

It would be tiresome to the reader to enter into a detail of Mr Durham's different works, and their various editions. He has long been, and still continues one of the most popular religious writers in Scotland.

ELLIOT,, lord Heathfield, a distinguished military officer, was the ninth son of Sir Gilbert Elliot of Stobbs in Roxburghshire, and born about the year 1718. He received his education, first at home under the charge of a family tutor, and afterwards, at Leyden, where he acquired a perfect and colloquial knowledge of the French and German languages. Being destined for the army, he was placed at the military school of La Fere, in Picardy, which was the most celebrated in Europe, and conducted at that time by Vauban, the famous engineer. He afterwards served for some time as a volunteer in the Prussian army, which was then considered the best practical school of war. Returning in his seventeenth year, he was introduced by his father to lieutenant-colonel Peers of the 23d foot or royal Welsh Fusileers, which was then lying at Edinburgh. Sir Gilbert presented him as a youth anxious to bear arms for his king and country; and he accordingly entered the regiment as a volunteer. Having served for upwards of a twelvemonth, during which he displayed an uncommon zeal in his profession, he was removed to the engineer corps at Woolwich, and was making great pi'ogress in the studies requisite for that branch of service, when his uncle, colonel Elliot, introduced him as adjutant of the 2d troop of horse grenadiers. His exertions in this situation laid the foundation of a discipline, which afterwards rendered the two troops of horse grenadiers the finest corps of heavy cavalry in Europe. In the war, which ended in 1748, he served with his regiment in many actions among the rest, the battle of Dettingen, in which he was wounded. After successively purchasing the captaincy, majority, and lieutenant colonelcy, of his regiment, he resigned his place in the engineer corps, notwithstanding that he had already studied gunnery and other matters connected with the service, to a degree which few have ever attained. He was now distinguished so highly for his zeal and acquirements, that George II. appointed him one of his aides-de-camp. In 1759, he quitted the second regiment of horse grenadiers, having been selected to raise, form, and discipline the first regiment of light horse, called after him, Elliot's. This regiment was brought by him to such a pitch of activity and discipline, as to be held up as a pattern to all the other dragoon regiments raised for many years afterwards. Colonel Elliot, indeed, may be described as a perfect military enthusiast. His habits of life were as rigorous as those of a religious ascetic. His food was vegetables, his drink Mater. He neither indulged himself in animal food nor wine. He never slept more than four hours at a time, so that he was up later and earlier than most other men.