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Towards the Union: How Defoe countered ignorance from lie of land to language

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From: The Scotsman
Date: 20061221
Author:Paul Riddell

DESPITE his role as an English spy, Daniel Defoe grew fond of Scotland and remained here until November 1708, long after the two countries had joined in union. He returned frequently.

He was constantly confronting ignorance and prejudice among his fellow countrymen about Scotland, as the following from his Review demonstrates:

To hear our people speak of Scotland, or of the Scots affairs or people, it would make a stranger think that this same place call'd Scotland was some remote country in the East-Indies, or about Madagascar, ... or somewhere very unfrequented, where very few people ever ...

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