Abbildungen der Seite
PDF
EPUB
[ocr errors][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small]

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

EDINBURGH:

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

[blocks in formation]

ning of 1747, our fale has been very little affected by their increase, as none of the late undertakings attempt to rival us in what most materially diftinguishes ours from the two Magazines that were formerly in the field. It feemed to be a just com plaint, that the current hiftory of the times was carelessly flurred over, or to be gathered only from a heap of disjointed paragraphs. The digefting it therefore into fomething of form and order we judged would be acceptable. Accordingly we always endeavour to give a regular detail of publick affairs, foreign and domeftick; keeping the histories of different countries, and the operations of different drmies, diftinct; connecting the occurrences of every fubfequent with thofe of the preceeding month; and drawing together the most remarkable tranfactions of each year in a general fummary at the beginning of the year following.

Our own country afforded but too much matter of the historical kind during the years 1745 and 1746; and as a strict attention to whatever concerns SCOTLAND, is what we study to make another diftinguishing characteristick of our collection, that period claimed, and had our particular notice.

Tho' the rebellion was quite extinguished long before the beginning of 1747, it produced confequences fo interefting to Scotland, that a Magazine calculated for this part of the united kingdom could not well be without accounts of them; and one containing fuch, drawn up in a tolerably full and exact manner, must deserve to be read by every Scotf

man.

pu

Whoever will caft his eye on the relations we have inferted of the trials of Lord Lovat and Provost Stewart, on the abstracts of laws lately made for fecuring the blick tranquillity, and on the view exhibited of the rife, progress, and iffue of the jurifdiction-bill, with the grounds on which the arguments for and against it were founded, we flatter ourselves, that, by comparing the Scots with other Magazines, in thefe, or any articles in which Scotland is particularly concerned, he'll readily obferve, that our collection is strictly conformable to the title it has the honour to bear, and that the fame title could not with equal propriety be applied to any other extant.

Authentick publick papers are now justly esteemed an effential part of history. This we always kept in view, particularly during the late rebellion. We then inferted, verbatim, or in fubftance, the orders, &c. published by the King's troops and by the rebels, concerning their military operations; and now, in the Appendix to this volume, we have collected the papers of a more publick nature, that were emitted in name of the pretender and of his fon. To these we have fubjoined an effay on hereditary and indefeafible right, which strikes at the root, the principles on which all fuch pieces are founded. This effay, and the Occafional Writer, a large extract of which is in our Magazine for December 1745, will, if not judged the very best, at least be ranked the best performances in anfwer to thofe treasonable papers.

As the pretender claimed a hereditary right to the crown, an anonymous pamphlet on that fubject was printed at Edinburgh in the beginning of 1746, and foon after inferted in our Magazine. The author endeavours to prove, that Bruce, from whom the Stewarts derived their right, came to the throne in the fame manner with the late K. William; the family which possessed by hereditary fucceffion being expelled in both safes for mal-practices, and the regal authority Jettled, by the people, on the perfon and family judged by them to bid fairest for preferving their liberties and properties. Thefe fentiments, with the arguments adduced in fupport of them, were afterwards adopted in a piece published by the Rev. Mr Logan; Mr Ruddiman wrote an answer to both; and two replies to it have been conveyed to the publick through the channel of Pur Magazine. We confidered this difpute as falling properly within our plan, and therefore paid a proportioned regard to it. If more is published, or comes to our and, on the fame fubject, it shall be attended to with equal care.

« ZurückWeiter »