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Alison the old guard at Fontainebleau. He and his brother joined a friend, A. F. Tytler, in writing a book of French travels for Tytler's benefit. In 1816 he visited the Alps; in 1817 he travelled in Ireland; and in 1818, with Captain Basil Hall and two others, went to Italy, saw Byron in Venice, and Canova and Sir Humphry Davy in Rome. In 1821 he visited Switzerland and many of the famous battlefields of the last war in Germany. Alison was an enthusiastic traveller. He made it a principle ‘to see everything,’ and carried out his theory systematically and unflinchingly. He took some interest in art and history, and made observations in Ireland and Flanders to support an intended demolition of Malthus. His professional income had enabled him to pay for four expensive continental tours, and to accumulate a library and a fine collection of prints. The laborious duties of an advocate depute in preparing indictments and prosecuting criminals put a stop to his travels. He ‘worked like a galley-slave.’ On 21 March 1825 he married Elizabeth Glencairn, youngest daughter of Colonel Tytler, niece of Lord Woodhouselee, and a descendant, like himself, of barons mentioned by Ariosto. His marriage, a thoroughly happy one, ‘detached his mind from dangerous excitements,’ and delivered him from the dangers incident to a disposition which led him ‘in a peculiar manner to prize the society of elegant and superior women.’ In November 1830 the defeat of the Duke of Wellington's ministry caused the resignation of all the crown counsel in Scotland. Sir W. Rae had never had an opportunity of fulfilling his promise to recommend Alison to the solicitor-generalship; and the failure of two firms, hitherto his clients, diminished his professional income by 1,000l. a year. He employed his enforced leisure on a work upon Scotch criminal law, the first volume of which was published January 1832, and the second in March 1833. He became also an energetic contributor to Blackwood, foretelling in its pages the many evils impending from democracy and the Reform Bill. He was already working hard at his history, the first two volumes of which appeared in April 1833. In July 1833 he again visited Paris to seek and discover demonstrations of the truth that popular convulsions lead to military despotism. His literary gradually supplanted his legal ambition; and upon the resignation of the Melbourne administration in October 1834, he declined an ofter of Sir W. Rae to nominate him for solicitor-general, and accepted instead the office of sheriff of Lanarkshire, a permanent post of over 1,400l. a year. On 12 Feb. 1835 he left Edinburgh, and settled at Possil House, near Glasgow, which was his residence for the rest of his life. His office was one of considerable labour. As judge of the small-debt and criminal jury courts, he had large and rapidly increasing duties. To carry out his work, he adopted a systematic time-table. From 8 to 9.30 he heard his son's lessons; breakfasted till 10; wrote history till 11.30; walked to Glasgow by 12; was in court till 4.30 or 5; walked home and dined at 6; walked in the garden or read the newspapers till 8; wrote history till 10 or 11; read authorities or authors upon whom to ‘form his style’ till 11.30 or 12, when he went to bed. A nominal vacation of two months was filled with business, and for ten years he was never absent for more than a few days in each year. Besides this, he had the responsibility of preserving the peace of the county, preparing criminal cases, attending official committees, and managing a large official correspondence. The commercial distress of 1837 produced strikes and riots; the organisation of a proper police force had been hindered by difficulties about assessment; and great anxiety prevailed. At last a new hand was murdered, 22 July 1837, by the agents of a secret society. Alison soon afterwards showed his courage and judgement in seizing the whole committee of the society, who were tried and convicted in January 1838. This led to the collapse of the strikes and the restoration of order. During the winter 1842–3 another great strike happened amongst the miners; houses were plundered and crops destroyed. Alison, with the assistance of a small body of troops and some police organised for the purpose, ultimately succeeded in putting down disorder and arresting some of the rioters. In April 1848 he was successful in preserving order under trying circumstances; whilst a great strike in March 1858 passed off more quietly, owing to the better feeling of the people and the presence of a superior force.

Alison had meanwhile become a popular author. His ‘History of Europe’ was definitely begun on 1 Jan. 1829. He intended, as he tells us, to show the corruption of human nature and the divine superintendence of human affairs; or, as Disraeli said of ‘Mr. Wordy’ in ‘Coningsby’ (bk. iii. ch. 2), to prove that Providence was on the side of the tories. The first two volumes (1833) brought him 250 guineas, but little success at starting. Even the ‘Quarterly’ preserved an unbroken silence, attributed by the author to the chagrin of Croker at finding himself superseded in a similar plan. The book, however,