| Description | Draft letter dated 15 July 1881 to Mr. McQueen from George Reid, R.S.A., St. Luke's, Kepplestone, Aberdeen, regarding his wish no longer to be associated with 'the carrying out of this insane Steills bequest' as none of his suggestions has been acted upon, McQueen will be lucky to save the trees, as the public prefer ribbon borders, 'My recent experience of giving advice to the public in such matters has brought me to the conclusion that one is always best employed when attending to personal affairs. The retailers of tape and thimbles who now hold high office in the municipality know so much better about these things that they can afford to sneer publicly at advice offered from outside'. Note added by Macdonald: 'I stopped G.R. from sending this, in re the Wallace monument - He proposed 'Castle St.', not a good site I think'.
['McQueen' is probably John Otto Macqueen, S.S.C., partner in Edmonds & Macqueen (later Ledingham Chalmers), advocates, from 1865. The Wallace monument referred to is probably that now at the corner of Union Terrace and Rosemount Viaduct, Aberdeen. It was paid for by the estate of John Steill, and was originally intended for Duthie Park, but was placed at its present site in 1888. It was the work of John Morgan] |