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Did you know?

For most of his adult life Boswell was better known for his "Account of Corsica", which lead to the sobriquet Corsica Boswell, than for his friendship with Dr. Johnson.

Biographies

James Boswell mentioned thousands of people in his extensive journals and other writings. Read about an ever increasing number of those people, and about their relationship with Boswell, in our biographies section.

Literature

In our literature section you can read about the numerous books published by Boswell in his own lifetime, and about more than 40 other books about or related to Boswell published since his death in 1795.

Lauchlan Macpherson

Born ca. 1740
Died 1766 in Africa

Biography:

Son of Donald Macpherson of Breakachie, and Christian Macpherson. In 1759 he became an ensign in the 78th Foot Regiment (known as Fraser's Highlanders). In 1760 he was promoted to Lieutenant. His regiment was disbanded in 1763, but he returned to active service in August, 1765, in a company headed for Africa. The next year he became seriously ill, and died in Africa on December 5, 1766.

According to Boswell "Lord Marischal took a liking to [Macpherson] in Scotland and made him come to Berlin to see the world a little at his Lordship's expense."1

Life with Boswell:

Boswell met Macpherson in Berlin on July 5, 1764, and described him as "a fine, honest, spirited fellow." They spent a lot of time in each other's company during Boswell stay in the city.

Notes:

Note 1: Boswell on the Grand Tour I, 1763-1764, July 14, 1764