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SCOTS MAGAZINE.

MDCC LI.

VOLUME XIII.

Ne quid falfi dicere audeat, ne quid veri non audeat,

EDINBURGH:

Printed by W. SANDS, A. MURRAY, and J. COCHRAN.

R340+

40.27 1-25

I is obferved by a learned writer of our own country*, that law and history are reciprocally illuftrated by each other, and that the gentlemen of either profesion cannot well acquit themselves in that which is properly their own, without a competent knowledge of its auxiliary science.

This obfervation, which will approve itself to daily experience, juftifies our conduc in one confiderable part of this work. -The current hiftory of the times, and more particularly that of our own country, has always been treated as an effential of the SCOTS MAGAZINE. While this kingdom was lately involved in the calamities of a civil war, it was our firft care, to give full and true accounts of the motions, operations, and various fucceffes, of the oppofite armies. After the rebellion was fuppreffed, our chief attention was drawn to the trials of those who had been unhappily engaged in it, and the executions of fuch of them as fuffered; all which being finished, a fuccinct reprefentation of that affair was given, in a lift of those that had been attainted or convided of high treafon, diftinguishing those who were, from those who were not execated [ix. 649.]. Without fuch a hiftory of preceeding events and tranfactions, the reafons, and proper explication, of many laws relating to this part of the united kingdom made fince the year 1745, could not be thoroughly underflood.To inftance in a few: The afts-of attainder, for the speedy trial of the rebels,for vefting their eftates in the crown,—for preventing the return of fuch of them as were pardoned on condition of transportation, for obliging fufpected perfons to find bail,for a general pardon,-for indemnifying perfons who, in defence of the government, had done actions which could not be justified by the firit forms of law, for obliging Epifcopal miniflers, teachers of youth, agents, &c. to take the oaths, for difarming the highlands, and prohibiting the highland dress,—for the trial of treafon committed in the highlands,—for abolishing the beritable jurifdictions, and the tenure of ward-holding, of which and feveral others we have given abstracts, expreffive, 'tis hoped, of almoft their whole meaning;-thefe alts are greatly illuftrated by the hiftory of what occafioned the enacting of them:and, on the other hand, they will throw light on the hiftory of events that happen after; as new laws introduce new penalties, new forms, and new customs. Further light is thrown upon the affairs of SCOTLAND, by our accounts of the proceedings of the courts of judicature, in important cafes, civil or ecclefiaftical; among which may be reckoned, the proceedings by a grand jury in 1748 against the rebels excepted in the indemnity; those of the court of feffion on the values of the heritable jurisdictions, and on claims entered for the eftates of perfons attainted; and thofe of the courts both civil and ecclefiaftical in regard to the patronage and fettlement of the parishes of Dunfe, Culrofs, and Lanark.

To thefe illuftrations of the SCOTS hiftory, peculiar to ourselves, are added, from another collection, the most remarkable Speeches made in the POLITICAL CLUB, upon all momentous queftions debated in parliament; by which one has the best of opportunities to be made acquainted with the nature of the British conflitution, and with the reasons on which bills of greatest confequence brought before the legislature are rejected, or pasjed

into laws.

In this volume, the Scots reader, to whofe fervice principally our labours are devoted, will find abftracts of the linen, foreign yarn, tobacco, and game atts; an abfract, generally useful in this country, published by order of the Hon. Truflees for improving manufactures, of all acts presently in force relating to that of linen; the proceed* Introduction to the essay on fuccession, one of those concerning British antiquities, written by Mr H Home

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