upon their father's plan, or the one now constructed by themselves, as extensively as would be desirable; he therefore trusted, that the Society would be disposed to contribute to and countenance a subscription for James Small's family; and therefore moved" That it be referred to the Directors, to ascertain the merits of the Plough shown to the Society this day, constructed by John and Alex. Small; and to consider of the propriety of contributing to and countenancing a subscription for the family of the late James Small, whose ploughs have been found the most generally useful of any hitherto invented, and to report to what extent the Society ought to sanction and support such subscription." The Society referred Sir John Sinclair's motion to the Directors for their consideration.

It was stated to the Meeting, that in consequence of the sum'voted by the Society, for constructing a Reaping Machine, upon the principles of the model invented by Mr Blaikie, armourer of the Lanarkshire militia, the machine had been made in its extended form, and tried, according to the information received, with considerable success.

The model of a Revo ving Battery, for the defence of the coasts, was exhibited by Mr Gillespie, the inventor, which had met with the approbation of several military and naval gentlemen qualified to judge of its merits. The Society, although desirous to encourage every ingenious and useful invention, did not consider this within the objects of their Institution, and therefore suggested to the inventor, to apply in the proper channel for support and patronage.

A letter from Mr Clennell, of Homerton, Middlesex, accompanied with a set of an Agricultural and Commercial Magazine, published by

The Meeting having, on motion, proceeded to the election of President, Vice-Presidents, and other officers for the current year, the following noblemen and gentlemen were chosen, viz.

His Grace the Duke of Montrose-re-elected President.

Most Noble the Marquis of Douglas and Clydesdale, Right Honourable the Earl of Wemyss and March, Right Hon. the Earl of Aboyne, and Right Hon. Lord Viscount Melville--Vice-Presidents.

William Macdonald, Esq. of St. Martin's, Treasurer.

Donald Maclachlan of Maclachlan, Esq. Secretary.

Robert Wilson, Esq. accountant in Edinburgh, Auditor of Accounts.

Rev. Dr George Baird, Principal of the University of Edinburgh, Chaplain.

Mr Lewis Gordon, Deputy Secretary and Collector. Mr David Watson, and Clerk,

Mr Alexander Jeweller and Medailist.

Recorder

Cunningham,

Mr ohn Campbell, Translator of the Gaelic Language.

Besides Thirty Ordinary Directors, resident in Edinburgh, for managing the affairs of the Society, whereof seven go out by rotation annually; the Meeting also made choice of the following Noblemen and Gentlemen, as Extraordinary Directors, several of whom are only occasionally in town, and cannot regularly attend the stated meetings, viz.

His Grace the Duke of Atholl. Right Hon. Lord Viscount Cathcart.

pers.

T

HIS very singular case, which has excited so much attention, originated in the following circumstances: John Lindsay Craufurd, conceiving the design of proving himself rightful heir to the titles and estates of the Earl of Craufurd, as heirmale of Patrick, first Viscount Garnock, and having heard that the Hon. James Craufurd, an uncle of the viscount's, had been in Ireland, imagined, if he could prove a James Craufurd, (the existence of whom is problematical,) the alleged factor at Castledawson, to be the same person as the Hon. James Craufurd, the viscount's uncle, he could establish his propinquity to him, and of course his title to the rank and estates. He therefore procured some books which had formerly belonged to the Castledawson estate, in which entries were

inserted to prove the existence of the said James Craufurd, and tacks and entries from Smith at Todshill, and Wylie at Giffordland, which he vitiated for the same purpose; at least Bradley did so by his direction, ór with his consent. These papers were produced in a civil clajin which he raised before the sheriff, which was resisted by Lady Mary Lindsay, and a conjunct probation allowed. How the civil action might have been decided, it is impossible to say; but Fanning, who had been employed by Bradley to forge and vitiate the papers, gave information to Lady Mary, in consequence of which the fiaud was discovered, and the present trial followed. The execution of the forgeries was astonishingly ingenious ; so much so, that one witness swore to the integrity of a lease which Fanning confessed he himself had forged.

The following, among others, is the copy of a letter having the forged subscription of the Earl of Craufurd, and pretended to be written to David Blair of Giffordland, near Beith, dated 22d February 1751.

"Am sorry to inform you my uncle James Craufurd is rather troublesome. He has wrote to me from Castledawson for more money, although, you know, I made him several remittances since his patrimony was spent, exclusive of the many bills I had to pay by his frequent visits from Ireland to Scotland heretofore. Being obliged to deny him, will not answer his letter this time. I request you to write him, pointing out the encumbrances I labour under; put him, off as long as you can, and stop his son Hew from coming to Kilbirnie in future-his manners offend me. Manage what I wrote you in my last as well as you can, and put down the seeds in the garden as soon as the season will perinit."

The following was pretended to

be

be written by James Craufurd himself to the above-mentioned Mr Blair, and dated 24th December 1751:

66

I expected to seen Kilbirnie this last season. But from the multiplicity of business carried on by the Hon. Baron Dawson, I was prevented; and from what you told me in a former letter, my son Hew shall never go there again, nor any other of my family. I see my nephew Lord Craufurd has begun to forget me. I wrote him for 501 but he has not yet answered my letter, though I told over my necessities to him; my health on the decline, and the many private vex ations yt. I labour under in a strange land. I depend on you, as usual, that you'll intercede for me, and represent my situation to him, and perhaps he may send me 501. which is the last I shall ever ask. He often served me from his own private purse, as well as by you, and I am very thankful; and as his debts are surely well nigh paid, except my Lord Glasgow, I hope you will be successful. My compliments to William Orr, Old Kirk, and all your family; and hoping to hear from you per bearer, I am, dear sir, your most obedient humble servant, JAMES CRAUFURD." The indictment being read, the pannels pleaded not guilty.

In opening the case on the part of Bradley, Mr Lumsden stated, that until the present accusation had been brought against him, his character had never hitherto, in any respect, been impeached. If it should turn out in the course of this trial that he had been concerned in the commission of any improper acts, it would appear that he had rather been misled through simplicity, than from any depravity of mind: That his misfortunes might arise from the circumstances of his having been acquainted with Mr Fanning, the principal wit.. ness on whom the Crown relied. This

man was considered as a person of great ability and discernment, and Bradley had resorted to him for the purpose of obtaining his advice relative to certain ambiguous parts of old documents discovered at Castledawson in Ireland, which, the prisoner had reason to believe, tended to support the claim of the other prisoner Craufurd: That Mr Fanning, who now turns out to be one of the most profligate and unprincipled of mankind, had instigated or encouraged Bradley to use means of an improper description towards the attainment of the desired object. And although he hoped the prisoner would be ac quitted completely from the charge of forgery now libelled, yet if it should turn out that the prisoner had at all been accessory to the vitiation or falsification of the documents founded on by the prosecutor, he was confident it would appear, that the party involved most deeply in the guilt of these misdeeds was the witness Fanning. He therefore pleaded not guilty to the crime of forgery, although, on account of certain admissions in the prisoner's declaration founded on, it was deemed proper to 'give this statement.

Mr Cockburn, for the prisoner Craufurd, handed written defences to the Court, to which he did not conceive it necessary to state any addi tion. The purport of these defences we understand to have been a denial of the prisoner's guilt. He was not aware that any forgeries had been committed, but if they were, he was not accessory to them.

Thomas Miller, William Rae, David Stewart jun. W. S. and Messrs Hunter and Hill, W. S. gave evidence, that the pannel had actually laid claim to be served heir to Lord Viscount Garnock.

James Smith, Todhills, parish of Dalry, county of Ayr. About the

latter

latter end of harvest 1810, John Montgomerie came to the witness, and asked him if he had any old papers belonging to his grandfather Dr Glasgow, and if there were among them any signed James Craufurd at Castledawson, or Patrick Viscount of Garnock in consequence of which he made a search, and found a number signed Patrick Viscount Garnock, but did not find any signed James Craufurd; in January 1811, he went to John Montgomerie's at Ladeside, carrying with him a number of old papers, something between a dozen and a score, among which were some old tacks; he examined them twice carefully before he carried them to Ladeside, and is certain none of them were signed James Graufurd, but some of them were signed Patrick Viscount Garnock; the prisoners Craufurd and Bradley were at Ladeside, and he gave them the papers to examine whether any of them were signed James Craufurd; John, Peter, and William Montgomerie were in the room at the time; after the prisoners received the papers, they left the room together; Bradley returned with some four papers, and laid them on a chair, at the same time desiring witness to proceed and search, as he might find something yet; Mrs Montgomerie lifted from the bottom of the chair a square paper folded like a letter, which, she said, would make her Lady Kilbirnie; Bradley wanted to look at it, but she would not let him; said it was a letter from James Craufurd, Castledawson, addressed to Dr Glas gow; witness tried to see it; when he attempted to read it, Bradley pulled it out of his hand; he is certain it was not among the papers he brought to Ladeside, the paper looked cleaner like; he was then asked if he would sign it as one of the papers which had been found at his house,

but he would not do it at first; all the Montgomeries signed it; Craufurd said, if witness would befriend him now in his necessities, he would befriend him when he came to his kingdom, and at last he was prevailed on to sign it, for which he was vexed afterwards; he left the whole leases with Craufurd at Ladeside; four weeks after, he received a note from Craufurd on a Saturday, requesting him to come and take tea with him at Ladeside; he went accordingly, but Craufurd was not at home; he then called on Mr Cochrane, and returned again about 11 o'clock, when he saw Mr Craufurd, who asked for his family, and then went out of the room, leaving witness alone with Bradley. Bradley gave witness the papers back, wrapped up in a piece of, an old newspaper, saying he wished to receive them before witnesses; when witness went home, he lighted a candle, and looked at the tacks, when he perceived that the old subscriptions had been erased, and James Craufurd put in their stead; (here a tack was shown, which witness identified, and said, that when he saw it formerly, there was a greater appearance of erasure at the signature than now.) On the Monday following, Bradley called on witness, and desired him to put the tacks, and two letters which he brought with him, among Dr Glasgow's old papers; the letters were one signed James Craufurd, Castledawson, addressed to Dr Glasgow, surgeon at Kilbirnie, the other signed Garnock, dated Edinburgh. He mentioned to Bradley, that he thought the subscriptions of the tacks were altered, ` which he acknowledged, but said, as the papers were so old, it could do no harm to any one; the letters, Bradley said, he had found about Kilbirnie; witness refused having any thing to do with the papers, as

they