of agriculture. ‘His piety was unaffected and unmixed with bigotry. He was tenacious of his principles, but his liberality of sentiment and charity towards those who differed from him led to no obstruction in the intercourse of life.’ He published a collection of sermons in 1807 and many separately. His principal works were: 1. Article on Holywood parish in Sinclair's ‘Statistical Account,’ vol. i., 1791. 2. ‘A Commentary on the Revelation,’ 1794. 3. ‘An Essay on the way to restore and perpetuate Peace, Good Order, and Prosperity to the Nation,’ 1801.
[Scott's Fasti, i. 583; Scots Mag. lxvii. 565; Murray's Galloway; Edinburgh Graduates; New Statistical Account.]
JOHNSTONE, CHARLES (1719?–1800?), novelist, descended from a branch of the Johnstones of Annandale, Dumfriesshire, born at Carrigogunnel in the county of Limerick about 1719, was educated in the university of Dublin, where, however, he does not appear to have taken a degree. He was called to the bar, but extreme deafness prevented his practice except as a chamber lawyer, and not succeeding in that branch of the profession, he had recourse to literature for his support. His chief work, entitled ‘Chrysal, or the Adventures of a Guinea,’ and frequently reprinted, appeared in 4 vols., London, 1760–5. The first and second volumes had been written during a visit to the Earl of Mount-Edgcumbe in Devonshire. The book pretended to reveal political secrets, and to expose the profligacy of well-known public characters. It soon attracted attention as ‘the best scandalous chronicle of the day.’
In May 1782 Johnstone sailed for India, and very narrowly escaped death by shipwreck on the voyage. He found employment in writing for the Bengal newspaper press, under the signature of ‘Oneiropolos.’ He became in time joint proprietor of a journal, and is said to have acquired considerable property. He died at Calcutta about 1800.
Johnstone was also the author of: 1. ‘The Reverie, or a Flight to the Paradise of Fools,’ 2 vols. London, 1762. 2. ‘The History of Arbases, Prince of Betlis,’ 2 vols. 1774. 3. ‘The Pilgrim, or a Picture of Life,’ 2 vols. 1775. 4. ‘History of John Juniper, Esq., alias Juniper Jack,’ 3 vols. 1781.
[Gent. Mag. 1794 pt. ii. 591, 1807 pt. ii. 631, 1810 pt. i. 311; Ryan's Worthies of Ireland; Webb's Compendium of Irish Biography, p. 267.]
JOHNSTONE, CHRISTIAN ISOBEL (1781–1857), novelist, was born in Fifeshire in 1781. Early in life she married a Mr. M'Leish, from whom she obtained a divorce. About 1812 she married John Johnstone, then schoolmaster at Dunfermline. They removed to Inverness, where Johnstone purchased the ‘Inverness Courier,’ of which he became editor. His wife aided materially in giving to the ‘Courier’ a more literary tone than was customarily attained by a provincial newspaper. Johnstone eventually sold the paper, went to Edinburgh, and opened a printing office in James Square. With Blackwood he purchased the copyright of the ‘Edinburgh Weekly Chronicle,’ and he and his wife edited the paper, but their principles were too liberal for their co-proprietor, and the connection did not long continue. Johnstone ultimately sold his share. Johnstone, at his wife's suggestion, thereupon undertook a series of cheap publications, the earliest published in Scotland. Another venture, ‘The Schoolmaster and Edinburgh Weekly Magazine,’ a 1½d. journal, conducted and almost wholly written by Mrs. Johnstone, appeared from 4 Aug. 1832 until 29 June 1833, when it was converted into ‘Johnstone's Edinburgh Magazine,’ published monthly at 8d., and for the most part non-political. ‘Tait's Edinburgh Magazine,’ then a 2s. 6d. monthly, was at the time printed by Johnstone at his office in James Square. In 1834 the price of ‘Tait's’ was reduced to 1s., and ‘Johnstone's Magazine,’ then in its ninth number, was incorporated with it. Of this amalgamation Mrs. Johnstone became the editress, and Tait gave her in addition to a salary one half of the property in the magazine. On the sale of ‘Tait's Magazine’ in 1846 Mrs. Johnstone ceased to write. She died at Edinburgh on 26 Aug. 1857, aged 76, and her husband on 3 Nov. following, aged 78. They were buried in the Grange cemetery, where an obelisk was erected to their memory. They had no children.
Mrs. Johnstone is described as extremely retiring, amiable, and accomplished, and ever ready to befriend young authors. She was the first to recognise the genius of Robert Nicoll (1814–1837) [q. v.], and he died in her house. De Quincey cites her, along with Joanna Baillie, Miss Mitford, and ‘other women of admirable genius,’ as an example of a woman ‘cultivating the profession of authorship with absolutely no sacrifice or loss of feminine dignity.’
The most popular of her works was ‘The Cook and Housewife's Manual … by Mistress Margaret Dods of the Cleikum Inn, St. Ronans,’ 12mo, Edinburgh, 1826. This book was originally written at Inverness, chiefly to keep the ‘Inverness Courier’ press going. It always yielded her a considerable and steady income, and reached a tenth edition in 1854.
