Quote Originally Posted by Cygnus View Post
Just to play the Devil's advocate :

Maybe he didn't describe the kilt as being tartan because he felt the word "kilt", to his audience, would imply that it was made of tartan cloth?

Just a thought.

Well, I could point to his statements on the importance of small details, like shoe buckles, near the beginning of the work, but I'm not sure that would be a good defense. I don't think I can assume that the kilts are tartan by these descriptions.