See No. 15573. The 'Instructor', Dr. Thomson (right), stands on a fiat box of 'Gaelic Pocket Bibles. Diamond Type', addressing the 'Scribe' (Campbell of Carbrook), who stands on a similar box of 'Wallachian Apocryphal Bibles, canon Type', with a pen behind his ear and holding a paper covered with much corrected script. Thomson, in his gown, points behind him to a flag held by 'Brownie' and says: '"Why Sir when I look to the Bible, I see no difference between a patrician &amp; plebein [sic] repentance" [abridged from Thomson's speech, 9 July 1827, attacking 'the Scribe']. | "What a husteron-proteron, higgleday-piggleday harangue. A speech of shreds &amp; patches: now \"a little bit applied to what he hears from a platform; and then a little bit applied to what he | "expected to hear from it. His debate shakes him from head to foot; &amp; the folios which he \ "holds in his hand also partake of the emotion, and operate so much in the manner of \ "a fan, that I dare say the ladies &amp; gentlemen in his neighbourhood enjoy a most" \ "refreshing breeze." There! is a coud [sic] of witnesses, to support what I have stated'. The flag is headed 'The Cloud of Witnesses', followed by seventeen abbreviated names: 'B—n, C—r., [&amp;c. &amp;c.]. Page 22'. [Quotations from Thomson's John Campbell Esq . . . called to account [see No. 15573], where on pp. 22-3 the names are given; they include George Ross, David Dickson, D.D. (1780-1842), Rev. Professor Paxton (1762-1837), both in D.N.B]. These are followed by 'I Christian Gents. \ II No Gaelic Bibles | III Send Apocryphal one to Wala'.
<p><br>The 'scribe' says: '"Dryou are confessedly a formidabe assailent [sic] in many \ "respects,—To your Master you stand or fall: what you have \ "stated of me is not true, but is the reverse of Truth,-—/ hold \ "this as a surer record of what I said at the meeting, than your memory or mine can be."' 'This' is the paper which he holds headed 'Sure Record' and ending 'Corrected Ex Post Facto', in which lines are scored through and replaced by others; the deleted lines are: 'You ask the London Committee to acknowledge their Error and express their regret for it, but remark they are gentlemen, &amp; that you cannot reasonably expect gent" to humble and condemn . . .' The interpolated passage: 'Would you have been gratified by such a melancholy degradation of Christian men or wd you have thought them better qualified at home or more respected abroad by such degradation'.
<br>On the extreme left a handsome and manly Advocate (George Ross) takes Campbell's shoulder, with a gesture of rejection. He says:  'Your ideas are wandering and confused! \"I lose no time in giving the statement you have made, \ "my most unqualified denial. I should have certainly expected that the ordinary rules of | "delicacy &amp; decorum, as well as fairness &amp; candour would have dictated the propriety of pre: \" viously comunicating [sic] with me on the subject; for the purpose of ascertaining the accuracy | "of what you proposed to publish. Begone! you are no more worthy of being my friend."' (An extract from Ross's letter to Campbell quoted in the latter's 'Letter to his friends containing a vindication of his conduct from the misstatement of the Reverend Dr. Thomson', 1827, p. 23; 'Surer Record' is mentioned on p. 5.) At his feet is a paper: 'Commissory Court—Action of Declarator'.
<br>Behind the three principals are figures on a smaller scale: a minister in gown and bands says '"I never understood the Colonel to put such a question to me, of the one referred to'; six ladies seated in a row, partly concealed by Campbell; the most prominent is Mrs. Grey. Behind Thomson, Grey's profile appears, as if walking off to the right, with his accustomed smile: 'I'm well out of that scrape, and, I wish Anglicana would allow me to keep out of it. At all events whatever I say will be under the rose, I do not like open warfare'. 'Brownie', grinning broadly, says: 'Ma conscience! They'l no leave the shadow in truth within him among them. The beau ideal [Grey, see No. 15580] should stand up for him'.  1828
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<br>Hand-coloured lithograph
1828<div style="display: none;">date QS:P571,+1828-00-00T00:00:00Z/9</div>
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