John Fitch's Steamboat

‘…Corrected proofs in the morning. When I came home from Court I found that John Lockhart and Sophia were arrived by the steam-boat at Portobello, where they have a small lodging…’

The steamboat was in full use by 1827, when Scott’s daughter and son-in-law arrive from Portobello (Scott’s Journal: June 9, 1827).  We’ve covered the first trans-Atlantic crossing of the SS Sirius (1837) in an earlier post.  Early Scottish steamboat developers include James Taylor, Patrick Miller, and William Symington.  This day, August 26, in the year 1791, American inventor John Fitch received a patent for his oar-driven steamboat, the Perseverance.  Lacking financial backers, Fitch could not fully develop his invention.  It took until 1807, when Robert Fulton established a profitable steamboat business based on Fitch's innovation.

Walter Scott Biographer John Buchan Born

The 1st Lord Tweedsmuir, John Buchan, was born on August 26, 1875.  Buchan's contributions to Walter Scott study have been noted in a post on his date of death.  Buchan was born in Perth, Scotland, and included much of Scotland in his works.  In particular, the Upper Tweed Valley/Borderlands that inspired Sir Walter Scott. 

The John Buchan society site is worth a visit, at: http://www.johnbuchansociety.co.uk/index.html.

The Black Prince

August 26th, 1346 saw the Battle of Crecy, with the English battling the French for Edward III's claim to the French throne. Edward's son (Edward, Prince of Wales) was known as the black prince, and he distinguished himself in this battle. It is possible that this battle included the first use of cannon.

There is a connection between the black prince and Scott's Ivanhoe. Ivanhoe was the name of one of the three manors that were forfeited by a John Hampden, who had unwisely struck the black prince, possibly during a jousting match.