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otto. The parchment is very small, and only 7 or 8 lines in the whole, in a chancery hand. It has the wordGuarantizare in the clause of warrandice. The next proof of this affair shewn to me was a chartour granted by K. Robert of severall lands to the diocess of Glasgow, containing these words, Testibus Roberto filio nostro primogenito et hæredi Senescallo Scotia, and dated in the year 1371, about 3 years before his second marriage. It's true, slanderers will not allow this to be demonstrative, because his legittimation might occasion this title, but the former chartour proving the marriage joyned with this, will corroborat the matter, and make it as evident as the sun at mid-day. This chartour was never controverted; and truly by comparing Ithink the writer is the same with the former, though it be in larger characters and not so many contractions; the seall is larger, but the same tsamp and inscription: this production may suffice to your conviction to conelude the improbation. The nixt production was a currency of chartours, from Alexander, Malcom Ken. mure's son, to the end of Robert Bruce's reign, for they have none in Malcom's days. I think they are 13 or 14 in number, all of them belong. ing to the Archbishoprick of Glasgow, and containing lands granted to the severall Bishops: the oldest is very musty, small, but still legible, containing the lands of Cadyou. The sealls varys, some small, but most of them large, with the King on horseback on the one side, and his effigies on the other, with the continuall motto Rex Scotorum; but, in John Baliol's time, they have one chartour, and no more in his days, with this inscription-Job: Rex Scotia, as well as his

the chartour. But Robert Bruce soon changed Joh. . . . novelty, and in the first chartour I saw granted by him when he was lurking in the

hills, he is designed Rex Scotorum: it is the only that wants a scall, and writt in confusion, amongst all this collection; but in another, which is one year after Bannockburne, the seal is magnificent. He is on the one side sitting in a chair of state, with the globe in one hand, and sword in the other, the motto Robertus Rex deo Rectore. His countenance is full and lively; one the other side he is one horseback, trampling under foott his enemies, the motto Scotorum Rex, Hostium terror; the two char tours together is ane embleme of the world. I suppose it will be needless to enlarge on the severall other chartours, writt distinctly and fine sealls, especially that in King David's time. Nixt I saw a notorial instrument, or rather the contract in K. James the first's days when he was prisoner, with the acknowledgement of the King and Parliament in England, that they had no right or title to the crowne: this is signed by 3 nottars and 3 instruments; it was at the time of his liberation, but I do not think it matteriall or valuable, if true

what I saw nixt was a very great collection of original letters writt by Queen Mary, with her testament writt the day before she was murthered, and her codicill the same day in the morning. The writt is large, but not good, the testament contains severall donations to her servants as well as the codicill, with a declaration of her faith signed Mary: her letters are to the Duke of Guise, and several other persons of distinction in France, and many to the Bishop of Glasgow, all in French; and many to the Earls of Argyle and Atholl, in one of which she expostulates with Argyle in pathetic terms that her son may not be delivered to the English, of which she was afraid; puts him in mind of the loyalty of his ancestors, and bounty of her predecessors to his family: the other to Atholl is very de

licat, and solid sense, writt the same day with Argyle's: she says, she had writt to Argyle, and concludes, that if both their familys continued loy. all and dutiful to the Crowne, there was no fear of either enemies abroad or parties at home: most of them signed Marie Reine. In one of her letters, when she was prisoner in England, she bewails her misfortunes, and says she wept at writing: and indeed the paper is spoiled a. little, with a small blank of 3 or 4 words. I saw one also from Lochleven when she was prisoner, which made myself tear at reading.

There is a collection of originall letters and writts from 1568 to 1580, of 13 volumes in folio, very necessary for a history, I cannot insert them in a letter, and severalls in K. Charles time. Nixt, I saw a collec. tion of letters, journalls, and many other papers, in four volumes in folio, finely bound, all writt by the late King James, beginning about the time of his father's imprisonment, (with several letters from his father to him,) continued to 1698. They are very pointed when he was in the army under Turrane's command, and generally very handsomely done, though not so well writt as his father's, whose writt is very fine.

There was a large book showen nixt writt extreamly fine, with va rious collours on parchment, and many figures, as the seasons of every moneth, and country affairs in every moneth in the kalendar: it has belonged to some religious house of those days, with abundance of legends and other ridiculous fables. It bears itself writt in 1431, but it is so very fine I cannot but suspect it.

I saw lastly a manuscript of Fordon with R. Bruce's testament: it is all writt by himself, with some lines, discovering by every first letter of the line his name : the writt is good and on parchment: as to the library here, there is nothing extra

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Account of the Origin and Progress of

SCOTTISH Commerce *.

NOTHING can be more scanty

than our information on this subject, so far as relates to the period contemporary with Roman and Grecian history. The Phenicians and their colonies, the great navigators of antiquity, carried on a pretty extensive traffic with the South Western part of the island, receiving tin, lead, and hides, in return for the productions of more fruitful and cultivated regions; but its northern extremity, cold, barren, and inhospitable, contained nothing which could tempt a pacific and commercial people to explore its coasts. Diodo rus, who about the time of Cæsar wrote a general history of the world, mentions, that its northern extremity was called Orkas; and this seems to

be

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be the whole amount of what was then known on the subject. As the Britons are said to be more barbarous than the Gauls, so there seems reason to think that its northern parts were still more so than the southera. In the former, agriculture was in a great measure unknown, its inland inhabitants subsisting entirely by pasturage. But there may be ground to doubt whether the Caledonians had advanced even thus far, and whether they did not depend almost entirely on the chace for subsistence. A Roman writer (Dion) observes, that though their coasts abounded with fish, they made no use of them as food; but whether from indolence or superstition, does not certainly appear. Solinus indeed mentions fish as a principal article of food with the inhabitants of the Hebrides, which may have been true with regard to that particular district. Their navigation was performed by boats made of woven osiers and covered with leather, in which they could cross to Ireland during the summer months only. It is evident, that in so low a state of the arts, there could be very few subjects of commercial exchange. The only articles of which they stood in need, were a small quantity of iron with which to point their weapons, to which we may probably add strong liquors, for which all savages have so eager a taste. It is difficult to say what they could find to give in exchange for these, except the skins of wild beasts which they had taken in hunting. Pearls indeed may be added, for which Scotland then was, and long continued famous, and which are said never to have been found south of the Solway firth. But the most creditable mode of supplying themselves with these articles, was doubt. less that of robbery. Like the ancient Germans, they thought it disgraceful to obtain by labour what could be purchased by blood. A very am

ple field was opened for this species of enterprize, after Britain, by being converted into a Roman province, had become at once more cultivated and less warlike. From that time, the incursions of their northern neighbours became most incessant and destructive.

These hardy tribes were, as is well known, the last to submit to the Roman yoke, as well as the first to shake it off. It was in the summer of the year 80, that Agricola, whose exploits have been so eloquently recorded by Tacitus, entered Scotland with a Roman army, which he led as far as the Tay, subduing the tribes who lay in his way.

He then returned to win

ter quarters in the isthmus between the Forth and Clyde, which he guarded by a chain of forts. Resolving however to complete the conquest of the island, he marched next year with his army along the coast of Fife, the fleet attending to supply him with provisions, which must otherwise have failed him. The Caledonians, during this march, harrassed him with continual desultory attacks, which destroyed a multitude of his men, and by which the ninth legion was entirely cut off. Next year the Caledonians assembled at the foot of the Grampians, a great army, the command of which was given to Galgacus, who animated his troops, by representing, that they were now driven to the farthest extremity of the earth, and that if this field were lost, there remained no longer a refuge for expiring liberty.

The Caledonians were not unmindful of these exhortations; but their irregular valour was forced to yield to the conduct of Agricola, and the superior discipline of the Roman armies. Yet how dear their victory must have cost the latter, may be conjectured from Agricola's retiring immediately after to the South of the Tay. Mr Macpherson indeed gives some reason for suspecting that many things

.

in this narrative of Tacitus were rather destined for the honour of his father-in-law Agricola," than drawn from a strict historical truth. The number of the Caledonian army, which is stated at thirty thousand men, seems hardly credible in a country so thinly inhabited. Agricola

then ordered his feet to sail round its northern extremity, and make a survey of the coast.

During the succeeding reigns, the Romans made no farther attempts to push their conquests in Britain, and it is not improbable that the Caledomians regained the entire possession of their country. The next mention that we have, occurs in the reign of the Emperor Adrian. That pacific monarch, finding the Roman Empire already too extended, and labouring under its own weight, formed the design of contracting it within narrower and more secure limits. With this view, he constructed a wall, eighty miles in length, between the rivers Tyne and Eden, which might defend the southern inhabitants of the island from the incursions of their barbarous neighbours. So agreeable did he render himself to the former by this and other measures, that he obtained the title of the Restorer of Britain.

under

In the reign of Antoninus Pius, the Roman territories were the command of Lollius Urbicus, who extended them considerably, and planted the Roman Eagle on the banks of the Varar (now Beaulie.) He built a second wall, farther North, between the friths of Forth and Clyde. He founded Roman towns, and connected them by military roads; in short, he provinciated a tract of country, mostly unknown to former conquerors, extending northward, from the newly-raised wall and the firth of Forth, to the firth of Moray; and from the ocean westward to Loch-Long, or perhaps. Loch-Fyne, the great ridge of moun

tains called Drumalban, and LochNess. The new province was called Vespasiana, a name given, or conti. nued, by the modesty of Antoninus, in honour of Vespasian, under whose reign the command of the Roman forces in Britain was delegated to Agricola.

It was apparently during the administration of Lollius, and probably under the direction of Scius Saturninus, who, as Jabolenus, and Ri. chard of Cirencester inform us, was then commander of an English fleet stationed on the coast of Britain, that the maritime survey, or rather two partial surveys, of the north part of Britain, were performed. From these it was, that Ptolemy the celebrated geographer, who fiourished in the following reign, constructed his map of North Britain; which is, however, most wofully inaccurate. He makes it project towards the cast instead of the south, while he has ranged the Hebrides along the north coast of Ireland, running from east to west.

The following are mentioned, at this period, as Roman towns: Curia

Otadinorum, Melros
Trimontium, perhaps Middleby, in
Annandale.

Lucofibia,

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some place on the east side of Wigton Bay. perhaps Pasley. perhaps the Ruins at the mouth of the Earn; perhaps Aber

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Chronological Account of Remarkable round Naples.-29. Edinburgh races

Occurrences in 1805.

July.

1.HAMILTON ROWAN, Esq.

of Ireland, formerly accused of high treason, but escaped from prison by bribing the goaler, appears in the Court of King's Bench, Dub. lin, pleads his Majesty's pardon, and is discharged.-3. Two gentlemen (students of medicine) fight a duel at Edinburgh, and one of them is killed.-5. The Foundation stone of the Royal Exchange laid at Petersburgh, Russia, by the Emperor Alexander, with great pomp and ceremony.-10. Russia, in her endeavours to effect a restoration of tranquillity, miscarries in her negociation, and an important state paper published by Count de Novasilzoff on the occasion. -12. Parliament prorogued by com. mission: The first regiment of Roy. al Edin. volunteers go on permanent duty at Edinburgh for 14 days. 15. The Edinburgh Court of Police opened, with a procession of the Lord Provost and Magistrates, the Judge of Police, &c. in their robes. 17. The British squadron attack the French flotilla off Boulogne, with some success.-19. His Majesty's ship Blanche captured by the French, after a smart engagement.-22. First regiment R. Edin. volunteers reviewed, and highly complimented by the Commander in Chief; also a handsome speech addressed to them by their Colonel, the Right Hon. Chas. Hope: Sir Rob. Calder engages the combined fleets of France and Spain, and captures two Spanish vessels, an 84 and a 74, which he sends to England, and pursues the rest.25. The Blackwall canal gives way, but providentially no lives lost: A dreadful earthquake throughout the greatest part of Italy, especially a

Feb. 1806.

commence, and continue for a week.

August.

8. Great preparations made against the French invasion.-10. A beauti

-14.

ful French frigate, named La Didon, captured by his Majesty's'ship Phonix, Capt. Baker, after a severe contest on both sides.-12. A grand field day at Portobello sands, near Edinburgh, in honour of the Prince of Wales' birth-day, upwards of 8000 troops under arms.Official account of the assault upon Bhurtpore, in the East Indies, received in England.-15. A singular riot at the Haymarket Theatre, London, by a number of tailors, masters and journeymen.-19. The Hon. Barry Lord Viscount Avonmore, Baron Yelverton, Lord Chief Baron of his Majesty's Court of Exchequer, dies at Fortfield.-21. Lord Nelson arrives

in London from the Mediterranean.

22. George Bussy Villiers, Earl of Jersey, dies at Tunbridge Wells.--25. The Duke of Gloucester, his Majesty's brother, dies, after a lingering illness: The Rev. Dr Carlyle, of Inveresk, near Edinburgh, dies at the manse of that parish.-31. Dr James Currie, late of Liverpool, editor of the elegant edition of Burns's works, dies at Sidmouth, much regretted.

September.

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