Volume 1 - Electric Scotland

42 WILLIAM BLACKWOOD.
flow of social gifts to the associations of the northern
capital, and the constant intercourse and sharpening
of its wits—which produced Sir Walter himself, and
was his sister spirit in more than writing. She was
afterwards connected with the circle of wits who in-
spired the Magazine through her nephew, J. F. Ferrier,
the well-known metaphysician, and his witty wife, the
daughter of Professor Wilson : but these were all
"unborn faces" at the time of Susan Ferrier's liter-
ary beginning. There was as yet no Magazine ; and
Wilson was an unknown young university man, known
at least only for athletic feats, and an inclination to-
wards poetry of the sentimental kind. ' Marriage '
came out of the cheerful and critical centre of Edinburgh
society, as ' Sense and Sensibility ' came from
the serene levels of English country life, with no
warning, floating upwards like the tiny balloons which
were one of the wonders of that day, carrying each
the little circle of a new undiscovered world to the
bigger universe around. Miss Ferrier was as Scotch
as Miss Austen was English ;
but the Edinburgh lady
had not that fine and pointed cynicism with which her
contemporary touched the lines of the minute all-em-
bracing picture. There was much fine sentiment and
ideal portraiture mingled with the broader humour
and larger laugh of the Scot, and perhaps her super-
fine Marys and Gertrudes took away a little of the
unmingled effect of the other; though Miss Girzy,
on the other hand, is as amusing as Miss Bates,
although she has a much sweeter attraction. The two
writers may, however, be now said to occupy a very
similar level, and there are very few names which can
be placed beside them. We feel disposed to believe