Much has been said about the habits and earnings of Sir Walter Scott, and it is only necessary for us to observe that he wrote in his neatly-arranged library, where at any moment he could refer to his books. He was a most methodical man, and never had to waste time hunting up lost papers and books. He usually commenced writing between five and six, and worked until ten in the morning, and during this period it was his practice to fast. When pressed with work, he would often take breakfast at nine, and lounge about until eleven, and then write with a will until two o'clock. During the closing years of Sir Walter Scott's life he employed William Laidlaw as his amanuensis. Laidlaw was a poet and prose writer of some merit, possessed of superior shrewdness, and highly esteemed by Sir Walter and his family. He was for many years steward at Abbotsford. Another famous son of the North was Professor Wilson, perhaps more widely known as "Christopher North," of _Blackwood's Magazine_. He entered in a large ledger skeletons of intended articles; when he felt in the humour for working, he turned to his skeletons, selected one, and quickly clothed it with flesh and nerve. Wilson in a short time could produce a considerable quantity of original matter. Mr. J. S. Roberts, the editor of the volume of "Scottish Ballads" in the Chandos Classics series, was a boy at Blackwood's when Wilson was the chief contributor to "_Maga_." It was one of Roberts' duties to go to Christopher North for his "copy." He was wont to sit and amuse himself whilst the great, lion-headed man wrote or furnished an article on all manner of scraps of waste paper. One day there was a high wind, and Roberts was indiscreet enough to put Professor Wilson's article in his hat. The result was hugely disastrous. The head-gear was blown off, and Wilson's article was distributed in small portions over all the streets of Edinburgh. It was a frightful thing to have to go to the author and explain the catastrophe. John Wilson would swear, as the boy knew; and for a while he swore most stormily, but eventually calmed his choler, and wrote the article over again. Professor Wilson was the author of a severe critique on the earlier poems of Alfred Tennyson, and in reply to it the poet wrote the following lines:-- "TO CHRISTOPHER NORTH. "You did late review my lays, Crusty Christopher; You did mingle blame and praise, Rusty Christopher. "When I learnt from whom it came, I forgave you all the blame, Musty Christopher; I could _not_ forgive the praise, Fusty Christopher. After penning the foregoing, the Laureate does not appear to have troubled himself further respecting Professor Wilson.