laft Monday of January (this anniverfary,) by the figned lifts of a majority of the members present at fuch meetings, any five of the faid Directors to be a quorum, with power to elect a Chairman for the time, in absence of the Chairman and deputy Chairman; and that a Treafurer and Secretary fhall be annually elected at the fame time, and in the fame manner.

6. That the faid board of Directors fhall hold four stated meetings in each year, viz. on the laft Monday of January, the laft Monday of May, the laft Monday of June, and the laft Monday of November ; with power of adjournment; and that there fhall be alfo four general meetings of the whole Society held on the fame days.

7. That upon requifition made by three Directors to the Chairman or deputy Chairman, or in abfence of both, to the Secretary, Extraordinary. Meetings of the court of Directors shall be called; and that extraordinary General Meetings of the Society fhall be alfo called, on application as above, by any nine of the members; eight days previous notice of fuch extraordinary meetings of the Directors, and 14 days previous notice of fuch extraordinary general meetings of the Society, being always given in the Edinburgh newspapers.

8. That the Directors and other office bearers fhall, for the enfuing year, confift of the following Noblemen, and Gentlemen, viz.

Sir John Sinclair Bart. Chairman
Sir Alexander Ramfay, Bart. Deputy Chairman.eas

Right Hon. James Montgomery, Lord Chief Baron
Right Hon. the Lord Provost of Edinburghos
Sir John Edward Swinburne, Bart.

15.30

Sir Jofeph Banks, Bart. Prefident of the Royal Society
Sir James Foulis of Colinton, Bart.
John Erskine, Efq. of Mar
Robert Oliphant of Roffie, Efq.

I

Jou Robert Belches of Greenvards Efq. veli
George Ramfay, Ef, younger of Barnton
Gilbert Hamilton, Efq, of Glafgowy?
9. to spastor ni sm)1 ora

Sir William Forbes, Bart. Treasurer,

James Horne, writer to the figuet, Secretary.{*v****

bogThat the fubfcription of each member shall be one guinea per annum, or ten guineas at admiffion, the Society being defirous of having as many perfons as poffible connected with it, and confiding in the farther fupport, of patriotic individuais, and of public fpirited bodies of men, in the profecution of the great national objects they have in view.

Pio. That the Chairman, deputy Chairman, and Directors, do, betwixt this and the last Monday of June next, draw up fuch laws and regulations as may appear proper for the future government of the fociety, to be laid before the general meeting to be then held; and that they be in the mean time empowered to take fuch steps as may feem proper to them for promoting the views and interests of the Society, be

II. That the thanks of the meeting be given to Sir John Sinclair, for his patriotic affiduity in inftituting this So-. ciety, and that he be requested to permit the able speech he has this day delivered to be published, as tending to excite attention to the great objects in view, by diffusing a knowledge of their importance and practicability.

12. That the thanks of the meeting be alfo given to the Earl of Hopetoun, for his warm and patriotic zeal for the fuccefs of the establishment, and the information his Lordthip has now communicated on that fubject.

13. That thefe refolutions he published in the London, Edinburgh, and other 'newfpapers, for the information of all perfons who may be inclined to become members of the Society:

"Extracted from the minutes of the meeting, by
JAMES HORNE, Secretary.

Statistics.

SIR John Sinclair's patriotic exertions have not been confined to the foregoing object only: His active mind, which fuffers no abatement of exertion when ufeful improvements are in view, has been, for fome time paft, bufy in purfuit of another object of great national importance, which he has now the profpect of bringing to a happy conclufion. In the courfe of his extenfive inquiries refpecting the finances and refources of this country, he had innumerable occafions to remark, that without an accurate knowledge of the real itate of the country at the prefent time, when compared with that at former periods, with refpect to population, industry, commerce, and other circumftances, a financier muft procceed in the dark, and be not only obliged to grope his way at firft, without being able to discover any ray of light to direct his fteps, but must go on in the fame way without either he himself or his fucceffors being able to know whether the measures have proved hurtful or beneficial.

To remove this uncertainty in a matter of fo much importance, no method appeared fo natural to our enlightened legiflator, as that of obtaining an authentic account of the prefent state of the country, in refpect to every particular that can tend to affect, directly or indirectly, the happiness and the profperity of the people;-and to obtain this, with refpect to Scotland, he has called in the affiftance of the clergy, a fet of men in this country, which, confidered as a body, is perhaps as refpectable a community as any on the globe. By his own vigorous exertions, and the affiftance of thefe worthy men, he has already obtained, as we are affured from the most undoubted authority, materials for giving a very perfect statistical account of many parishes in that country; in digefting which into proper form, Sir John has been bufily employed during the fhort recefs of parliament; -and in the profecution of which, we are affured, he will go on with unremitting diligence, during every hour that can be fpared from his active duties as a British fenator.

*

Statifical is a word hardly yet naturalized in the country With out entering into a laboured etymology of the word, it is fufficient to inform our readers,, that it means an account of the ftate of any country refpecting population and industry.

Sir John has juft finished the printing an account of four parishes in Scotland, which he means to diftribute to all the clergymen in that country, as a fpecimen of his intended work, and as an incitement to thofe who have not yet finished their accounts, to go on with their inquiries, which for the honour of all concerned, we hope and fincerely believe, will be the most complete and authentic account that ever was publifhed.

It is only neceffary farther to add, that with that difinte fefted philanthropy, which is fo commonly the attendant of great minds, Sir John Sinclair has appropriated the whole profits that fhall be derived from the fale of this work to the augmenting the funds of a fociety lately inflituted in Scotland, for the relief and fupport of the children of fuch clergymen as fhall be left in hampered circumstances.

心

A

to The following extract is offered as a fhort fpecimen of the work. It refpects the town of Port Patrick, near which is the thorteft ferry between Ireland and Britain.

V

A The Packet-Boats to Ireland.-The mode of conveying the mail between the two kingdoms, has undergone many changes. At first regular packet-boats, with falaries, were eitablished. But before the quay was built, and while the paffage was e was attended with the difficulties above defcribed. delays were frequent. The failors, efpecially as their wages at all events were running on, often chofe to reft themfelves. Etablished packets were therefore abolished, and a rale fixed, That whoever failed first should have the mail, and a certain fum for carrying it. This operated as a premium, , and produced for fome time a very good effect. Soon after, however, as trade increased, the allowance made by government became of lefs confequence. The packets were no longer the fame object. It often happened, that a boat would not fail with the mail, unlefs fhe had fomething elfe to carry. The mail coach alfo was established, conveyance of travellers became an object of atThe boats which carried cattle, were peculiarly offenfive to paffengers, not to mention that fuch a cargo, with a gale of wind, was even dangerous. Fafiengers were therefore difgufted or deterred, and were often induced to take another rout. It was one great branch of Mr Palmer's public spirited plans for promoting the commercial

and the tention.

intercourfe of the British empire in general, to unite as much as poffible the three great offices of London, Edinburgh, and Dublin. His mail coaches regularly went from Dublin to Donhaghadee, on the one fide; and from London and Edinburgh to Portpatrick, on the other. Nothing therefore remained to complete the chain, but to obviate the inconveniences of the ferry at Port-patrick; this he did by reftoring established packets. We have now four elegant veffels fitted up with every accommodation, whofe only object is to forward the mail, and to convey travellers from the one ifland to the other.

"The town, which is in a great measure supported by the concourfe of travellers, has in a peculiar manner felt the benefit of these improvements. Almost every houfe is an inn, where strangers may find accommodation fuited to their circumftances. The money they leave is the great fund out of which the inhabitants pay their rents, and fupport their families. The rapid change however, which has taken place, is greatly to be attributed to the late Sir James Hunter Blair, who happened to live at the critical period when the change began. He had fagacity enough to foresee the many advantages which must refult from it, and forwarded the projected improvement as much as poffible, by filling the harbour immediately with veffels, and building almost en tirely a new town, to accommodate the inhabitants and the travellers who paffed through it. Such is the origin and the progrefs of improvement which is generally owing, whether in a great capital like Edinburgh, or a provincial town like Port-patrick, to the spirit and exertions of particu lar men, who seem born for the purpose of roufing the mul titude from a state of ignorance or torpor, from which they are too often unwilling to be emancipated.

"Manufactures.-Manufactures have not yet made their. way to Port-patrick. Ship building is the only one as yet attempted. Under the aufpices of the active and public fpirited citizen above mentioned, fome companies of hipwrights have been formed, who are likely to carry on that branch fuccefsfully. The depth of the water, and the fhortnefs of the run, render it one of moft convenient launches that can be conceived.