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for whom? the lady? I let the Museum have a
good specimen and have kept the other four.
I am now collecting old brass candlesticks, of the
18th century and earlier. Already I have got nearly
30 including, however, some early 19th century pieces
which I acquired in the course of learning my
subject. Today I picked up a very nice one
of bell-metal which must date near the reign
of Queen Anne. It has a baluster stem and
mouldings on its stem quite suggest the stems
of glasses or the legs of certain pieces of furniture
of that time. It is remarkable how certain
fashions of design are adapted & repeated at
a given period in all sorts of different productions.
A few weeks ago when on police duty my eye observed
rather an unusual iron-bound box in a small
shop at the corner of Thistle St. & Hanover St.
Monday morning early found me there. The
box is an interesting specimen - casket-shaped -
made of oak, & covered with pierced iron bands
laid over strips of mica. I date it as of early
17th century make - possibly Italian. I did not
hesitate to purchase it at the price of £4
which was ridiculously cheap.

23rd. Feb. 1919
In the December number of the Connoisseur there appeared
an advertisement by one Kate Delomosne illustrating five
glasses all from the lot I recently sold. I tried to find out
the price asked, but they were sold before my enquiry
reached the dealer. Lord Carmichael told me recently
that Churchill only made £40 profit on the deal he
did with me! This has been a very open winter up
here, and we have only once had a fall of snow and
that so light as hardly to merit the name. Of frost
too we have had very little, but the weather has been
cold, sunless, and damp. We are now enduring
the second epidemic of influenza followed by septic
pneumonia, which is proving rather a deadly
scourge. Many people have died from it, and
last week, or the week before, the Edinburgh death-
-rate was 48% the highest on record.

[Margin] ? ? 100s! ---

Sandy went North on the 13th and joined the 3rd
Battln. [Battalion] of the Gordons the following day in Aberdeen.
He is quartered in the Botanic Gardens & his fellow
officers are evidently good examples of the "temporary
gentleman" class. Sandy reports that some of
them sleep in their day shirts, they take no baths,
& because he speaks not with an Aberdeen accent
they considered he must be an Englishman!
He is having rather a dull time with very
little to do. A committee has
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