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35 a BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES. Assembly Close. where he continued until his death. He subsequently removed to St John’s Street, Canongate, No. CXLI. MR. DAVID DOWNIE, GOLDSMITH IN EDINBURGH-TRIED FOR HIGH TREASON ALONG WITH ROBERT WATT IN 1794. TOWARDtSh e end of 1793, several meetings of the British Convention were held in Edinburgh. At one of them (5th December) the Magistrates interfered, dispersed the Convention, and apprehended ten or twelve of the members, among whom were several English delegates ; but who, after examination, were liberated on bail. The Magistrates at the same time issued a proclamation, prohibiting all such meetings in future j and giving notice to all persons “who shall permit the said meetings to be held in their houses, or other places belonging to them, that they will be prosecuted and punished with the utmost severity of law.” Notwithstanding this proclamation another meeting was summoned by the secretary, William Xkirving, to be held in the cock-pit, Grassmarket, on the 12th of December. On this occasion the Magistrates again interfered, and apprehended several of the members ; some of whom were served with indictments to take their trial before the High Court of Justiciary. It was about this time that Watt and Downie became deeply involved in those transactions for which they were condemned. After the dispersion of the British Convention, they became active members of a “ Committee of Union,” designed to collect the sense of the people, and to assemble another Convention. They were also members of a committee, called the “ Committee of Ways and Means ”---of which Downie was treasurer. In unison with the sentiments of the London Convention, it appears, the “Friends of the People” in Edinburgh had abandoned all hope of, or intention of further demanding, redress by constitutional means ; and the more resolute of them began to entertain designs of an impracticable and dangerous nature. Of these wild schemes Watt was a principal and active promoter. The first attempt of the Committee was to gain the co-operation of the military, or least to render them neutral ; for which purpose they printed an address, and circulated a number of copies among the Hopetoun Fencibles, then stationed at Dalkeith.1 A plan was also formed, by which it was The regiment was about to march for England. The object of the address was to excite the men to mutiny, by persuading them that they were sold to go abroad ; and that if they revolted, they would get thousands to assist them. John Geddes, a witness and one of the soldiers, said he read the address. 0 ! dear brothers, stay at home I ” Some of the words it contained were-“Stay at home ! ... 1794. TOWARDtSh e end of 1793, several meetings of the British Convention were held in Edinburgh. At one of ...

Book 8  p. 491
(Score 5.02)

Currie?s, and Dewar?s Closes on the north side of the market, were all doomed to destruction by the late City Improvement Act. In the vicinity of the first-named alley, whose distinctive title implied its former respectability as a paved close, was a tenement, dated 1634, with a fine antique window of oak and ornamental leaden tracery, and an adjacent turnpike stair has the THE CORN EXCHANGE, GRASSMARKET. of December, 1793, so many members of the memorable British Convention were seized and made prisoners, with several English delegates, when holding a political meeting for revolutionary purposes and correspondence with the French Republic. In these transactions and meetings, Robert Watt, a wine merchant, and David Downie, became God . for , all . his . Giftis,? and the initials, ?L B. G. EL? . In Currie?s Close was an ancient door, only two feet nine inches broad, with the halfdefaced legend : GOD . GIVES THE . . . . RES . . . . and the initials, ? G. B.? and ?? B. F,? and a shield charged with a chevron and something like a boar?s head in base. In 1763 such a diversion as cockfighting was utterly unknown in Edinburgh, but in twenty years after, regular matches or maim, as they were technically termed, were held, and a regular cockpit for this school of gambling and cruelty was built in the Grassmarket, and there it was that, on the 12th death for high treason. After the dispersion of the British Convention in the Grassmarket, they became active members of a ? Committee of Union,? to collect the sense of the nation, and of another body styled the Committee of Ways and Means,? of which Downie, who was a goldsmith in the Parliament Close, and an office-bearer of his corporation, was appointed treasurer. In unison With the London Convention, the ?? Friends of the People ? in Edinburgh had lost all hope of redress for their alleged .political wrongs by constitutional means, and designs of a dangerous nature were considered-wild schemes, of which Watt was the active promoter. Their first attempt was to suborn the Hopetoun Fencibles, then at Dalkeith, and under orders for ... December, 1793, so many members of the memorable British Convention were seized and made prisoners, with ...

Book 4  p. 236
(Score 4.71)

TALLY-STICK, BEARING DATE OF 1692. discovery was made in one of our churches. Some years ago a chest, without any address, but of enormous weight, was removed from the Old Weigh House at Leith, and lodged in the outer aisle of the old church (a portion of St. Giles?s). This box had lain for upwards of thirty years at Leith, and several years in Edinburgh, without a clainiznt, and, what is still more extraordinary, without any one ever having had the curiosity to examine it. On Tuesday, however, some gentlemen connected with the town caused the mysterious box to be opened, and, to their surprise and gratification, they found it contained a the power which the chamberlain had of regulating matters in his Court of the Four Burghs respecting the common welfare was transferred to the general Convention of Royal Burghs. This Court was constituted in the reign of James III., and appointed to be held yearly at Inverkeithing. By a statute of James VI., the Convention was appointed to meet four times in each year, wherever the members chose; and to avoid confusion, only one was to appear for each burgh, except the capital, which was to have two. By a subsequent statute, a majority of the burghs, came, by whom it was made, or to whom it belongs, this cannot remain long a secret. We trust, however, that it will remain as an ornament in some public place in this city.? More concerning it was never known, and ultimately it was placed in its present position, without its being publicly acknowledged to be a representation of the unfortunate prince. In this Council chamber there meets yearly that little Scottish Parliament, the ancient Convention of Royal Burghs. Their foundation in Scotland is as old, if not older, than the days of David I., who, in his charter to the monks of Holyrood, describes Edinburgh as a burgh holding of the king, paying him certain revenues, beautiful statute of his majesty (?), about the size of life, cast in bronze. . . . . Although it is at present unknown from whence this admirable piece of workmanship ?and having the privilege of free markets. The judgments of the ( F Y O ~ Scoftish ~ntiq7rurirm -w7?scunr.) magistrates of burghs were liable TALLY-STICK, BEARING DATE OF 1692. to the review of the Lord Great Chamberlain of Scotland (the first of whom was Herbert, in IIZS), and his Court of the Four Burghs. He kept the accounts of the royal revenue and expenses, and held his circuits or chamberlainayres, for the better regulation of all towns. But even his decrees were liable to revision by the Court of the Four Burghs, composed of certain burgesses of Edinburgh, Stirling, Roxburgh, and Berwick, who met ahiiually, at Haddington. to decide, as a court of last resort, the appeals from the chamberlain-ayres, and determine upon all matters affecting the welfare of the royal burghs. Upon the suppression of the office of chamberlain (the last of whom was Charles Duke of Lennox, in 1685), the power of controlling magistrates? accounts was vested in the Exchequer, and the reviewd of their sentences in the courts of law ; while . . or the capital with any other six, were empowered to call a Convention as often as they deemed it necessary, and all the other burghs were obliged to attend it under a. penalty. The Convention, consisting of two deputies from each burgh, now meets ancually at Edinburgh in the Council Chzmber, and it is somewhat singular that the Lord Provost, although only a meniber, is the perpetuai president, and the city clerks are clerks to the Convention, during the sittings of which the magistrates are supposed to keep open table for the members. The powers of this Convention chiefly respect the establishment of regulations concerning the trade and commerce of Scotland ; and with this end it has renewed, from time to time, articles of staple contract with the town of Campvere, in Holland, of old the seat of the conservator of Scottish privileges. As the royal burghs pay a sixth part of the sum imposed as a land-tax upon the counties in Scotland, the Convention is empowered to consider the state of trade, and the revenues of individual burghs, and to assess their respective portions The Convention has also been iii use to examine the administrative conduct of magistrates in the matter of burgh revenue (though this comes more properly under the Court of Exchequer), and to give sanction upon particular occasions to the Common Council of burghs to alienate a part of the burgh estate. The Convention likewise considers and arranges the political seffs or constitutions of the different burghs, and regulates matters concerning elections that may be brought before it. Before the use of the Council Chamber was assigned to the Convention it was wont to meet in an aisle of St. Giles?s church. Writers? Court-so named from the circumstance of the Signet Library being once there-adjoins the Royal Exchange, and a gloomy little cuZ de sac it ... BEARING DATE OF 1692. discovery was made in one of our churches. Some years ago a chest, without ...

Book 1  p. 186
(Score 3.21)

BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES. 481 359.’ WILLIAYS KIRVINGS,e cretary to the British Convention, or, as he is styled in the Print, “ Citizen Skirving, a tried patriot and an honest man,” was tried for sedition before the High Court of Justiciary, on the 6th January 1794, and sentenced to be transported beyond seas for the term of fourteen years. Mr. Skirving was accused of circulating a seditious hand-bill or paper, dated “Dundee, July 1793,” and for which Mr. Palmer had already been tried and sentenced to seven years’ transportation. He was further charged with having been a member of a society denominated ‘‘ Friends of the People,” and secretary to the British Convention that met in Edinburgh during the months of October, November, and December 1793, and for writing and publishing various other seditious writings, as specially condescended on in the criminal letters or indictment on said 6th January 1794. Some time previous to Skirving’s trial, in virtue of a general warrant issued by Sheriff Pringle, his house, at the dead hour of night, was taken possession of by a posse of sherif oflcers, and strictly searched, on the pretext of finding seditious and treasonable publications or papers ; and after seizing a variety of books and papers which they thought proper to consider of the above description, Skirving, without any further ceremony or explanation, was taken into custody and incarcerated in the tolbooth of Edinburgh, until liberated in due course of law. Mr. Skirving indignantly refused to be liberated on bail until his solicitor, Mr. William Moffat, had taken the necessary steps to secure a legal investigation and redress for such illegal and iizquisitorial procedure. General warrants having for many years been found and declared by the supreme law of the land to be illegal and oppressive, vide the decision of the Court of King’s Bench, in the case of the celebrated Alderman Wilkes against the Secretary of State for damages, 1764, Mr. Moffat accordingly lost no time in serving the Sheriff and his Procurator-Fiscal with a protest on behalf of Skirving, grounded on the foresaid illegal proceedings, demanding his immediate liberation from jail, and restitution of the books and papers that had been so illegally seized or stolen from his house, as therein specially condescended on j and failing restitution and his liberation, the protest concluded by holding the Sheriff and all concerned liable in exemplary damages. Mr. Skirving was soon thereafter liberated, but the papers and property never were returned, nor any damages recovered for their illegal seizure and abstraction, although in the similar case of Alderman Wilkes he obtained a verdict for 55000 damages against Lord Halifax and his Under Secretary of State, who signed and issued the warrant in question In May 1794 Skirving was transported to New South Wales in the Surprise Transport, with his fellow-sufferers, Muir, Palmer, and Margarot, and died there about three years after his arrival. Margarot was the only one who outlived the period of his exile, and who returned in good health and spirits, in 1811, Nos. 359 and 360 not being amongst Ray’s Copperplates at the time of his death, they only lately came into our possession. They are introduced here aa supplying a desideratum-the parties portrayed being frequently alluded to throughout the Work. VOL 11. 3Q ... 481 359.’ WILLIAYS KIRVINGS,e cretary to the British Convention , or, as he is styled in the Print, ...

Book 9  p. 639
(Score 3.07)

BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES. 377 trable to all such assaults. It did not fail, however, to excite the notice of his opponents north of the Tweed ; and we have seen by the ‘‘ Patent of Knighthood” how the artist improved upon the suggestion. Notwithstanding his temporary unpopularity, Sir James was subsequently at the head of the Magistracy in 1794-5, and again in 1798-9. During the latter warlike period his conduct was truly meritorious. Scottish commerce had suffered considerably from the attacks of French and Dutch privateers, even on our very coasts, which had been left in a shamefully unguarded condition. By the representations of Sir James, and his judicious applications to Government, proper convoys were obtained for the merchantmen, and due protection afforded to our bays. He zealously forwarded the plan of arming the seamen of Leith and the fishermen of Newhaven, by which a strong body of men were organised in defence of the harbour and shipping. So highly were the services of Sir James appreciated, that at the annual Convention of the Royal Burghs of Scotland (of which he was preses), held at Edinburgh in 1799, the thanks of the Convention were presented to him in a gold box, “for his constant attention to the trade of the country, and in testimony of the Convention’s sense of his good services in procuring the appointment of convoys, and in communicating with the outports on the subject .” In private life he was very much respected : of mild, gentlemanly manners, but firm in what he judged to be right. His habits were economical, but not parsimonious ; and the party entertainments given at his house were always in a style of magnificence. In person, he was tall and extremely attenuated.’ At one period Sir James resided in St. Andrew Square, the first house north from Rose Street; and latterly at the west end of Queen Street, not far from the Hopetoun Rooms. He acquired the estate of Larbert, in Stirlingshire, which, with his title of Baronet, descended to his son, Sir Gilbert Stirling, then a Lieutenant in the Coldstream Guards. He left another son, George, who on the 25th December 1820 married Anne Henrietta, daughter of William Gray of Oxgang, Esq. He had also two daughters, Janet and Joan, the former of whom was married to Admiral Sir Thomas Livingstone of Westquarter, near Falkirk. Sir James Stirling died on the 17th February 1805. 1 It is related of Sir James, that on being pointed out to a countq woman while walking, attired in his velvet robes, in a procession, she exclaimed-‘‘ Is that the Lord Provost I I thocht it was the corpse rinnin’ awa’ wi’ the mort-cloth.” 30 ... SKETCHES. 377 trable to all such assaults. It did not fail, however, to excite the notice of ...

Book 8  p. 526
(Score 2.81)

L UC‘EN3OOTHS AND PARLIAMENT CLOSE. 2x7 only taken when completely disabled by wounds, and the court was hastily summoned to sit on the following morning, “ that he might not preveen the public execution by his death.” The evidence was found insufticient to convict him of a share in the Rye House Plot, and the king’s advocate proceeded accordingly to lead other accusations of treason against him, among which he charged him as having been one of the masked executioners who beheaded Charles I. He appears to have been a man of most reAolute courage, and a determined republican ; he denied having been the king’s executioner, but readily admitted that he was on guard at the scaffold as one of Cromwell’s troopers, and ‘th<aBt e ihneg ahsakde ds iefr vheed oaws naed litehuet epnreasnetn ti nk ihnigs’ sa ramuyth oarti tyD, uhneb acrr,a vWedo rlceeasvteer ,t oa nbde eDxucnudseede., seeing he need neither offend them nor grate his own conscience.” He was executed the same afternoon, with peculiar barbarity, and his quarters sent to be exposed in some of the chief towns of Scotland, his head being reserved to grace the West Port of Edinburgh. But the day of retribution came at last; the Prince of Orange landed in England, and the feeble representative of the Stuarts was the foremost to desert his own failing cause. From the close of 1688 till March 1689, when a Convention of the Scottish Estates was summoned to meet, Edinburgh was almost left to the government of the rabble. The sack of Holyrood, already described, completely established the superiority of the Presbyterian party, and they signalised their triumph by assaulting the houses of the wealthy Catholics who resided chiefly in the Canongate, which they ‘<ra bbZed,” as the phrase wae, gutting and sometimes setting them on fire. When at length the Convention met, the adherenta of the exiled king crowded to the capital in hopes of yet securing a majority in his favour. Dundee openly marched into the town with a train of sixty horse, while the Whigs with equal promptitude, but secretly, gathered an armed body of the persecuted Presbyterians, whom they concealed in garrets and cellars, ready to sally out at a concerted signal, and turn the scales in favour of their cause. The aumptuous old oaken roof of the Parliament Hall then witnessed as stirring scenes as ever occurred in the turbulent minorities of the Jameses within the more ancient Tolbooth. Dundee arose in his place in the Convention, and demanded that all strangers should be commanded to quit the town, declaring his own life and those of others of the king’s friends to be endangered by the presence of banded assassins. On his demand being rejected, he indignantly left the assembly ; and the Convention, with locked doors and the keys on the table before them, proceeded to judge the government of King James, and to pronounce his crown forfeited and his throne vacant, beneath the same roof where he had so often sat in judgment on the oppressed. Meanwhile Dundee was mustering his dragoons for the rising of the North; the affrighted citizens were beating to arms to pursue him, and the armed Covenanters sallying from their hidingplaces to strike for liberty against the oppressor, on the same streets where they had not openly been seen for years, unless when dragged to torture and execution; while the Convention sternly bent themselves to the great question at issue, expecting every moment that the Duke of Gordon would open a fire on them from the Castle guns, and compel A sort of compromise would seem to have been tacitly entered into with regard to tbb brave “persecutor.” Dalziel and Mackenzie have been delivered up to unmitigated popular infamy, while the same censors still speak of the Bluidy Clavers and the Gallant Dundee, as though they had contrived to divorce hia evil from his good qualities in order innocently to indulge their pride in the hero of Scottish song ! 2E ... UC‘EN3OOTHS AND PARLIAMENT CLOSE. 2x7 only taken when completely disabled by wounds, and the court was hastily ...

Book 10  p. 237
(Score 2.63)

BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES. 191 rally intrusted to act as purveyor for the men of the room to which he belonged. The butcher with whom he had dealt for some time used frequently to quiz him about his reputed strength, and was perhaps inclined to think, from the silence maintained by Sam on the subject, that it was not just so great as report stated. One day, while higgling a little about the price of some purchase- “ Come, come,” said the knight of the cleaver, and pointing to a bulk of very excellent appearance, “take that on your shodder; and if you carry it to Richmond, you shall have it for nothing.” The proposed task, strong as Sam was, seemed infinitely beyond his power, Richmond barracks being distant nearly two miles. The offer, however, wi~s extremely tempting ; and he well knew what eclat such a prize would obtain for him among his fellows. Sam therefore got the carcase on his back ; and, to the astonishment of the chop fallen butcher, succeeded in carrying it triumphantly to the barracks. Many of the Highland Fencible regiments were accompanied by stags of a large size, which were at once the pets of the men, and the wonder of the different towns they lay in. Big Sam was not the only human giant paraded in a similar way, as a specimen of what the north could produce. The.Argyleshire regiment had their champion in the person of a George Euchanan, who marched at their head with a fine stag. He was fully as tall as Sam, but wanted the symmetry and muscle that rendered him so remarkable ; neither was his voice so gruff as M‘Donald’s, which had something ventriloquial about it, as if he spoke from the inside of a barrel. Sam treated every other bully as a conscious Newfoundland dog does the impertinences of a troublesome cur. Euchanan had many wrestling bouts, however, with strong men in various places, but uniformly threw them with great ease. When in Falkirk (during the American war) he exhibited his muscular prowess by holding a heavy cart-wheel upon his arm, which was afterwards passed through the nave, the wheel being made to spin round like a mill-wheel on its axle., No. CCXXXVII. MR. CHARLES SINCLAIR, ONE OF TEE DELEGATES TO THE BRITISH CONVENTION. SINCLAIwRa s apprehended along with Margarot, Gerrald, and others ; but neither he nor Citizen Browne were tried. Little is now known either of their lives or characters. Sinclair is understood to have subsequently become an informer ; and there is reason to suspect that from the first he had acted merely as a spy. ... CHARLES SINCLAIR, ONE OF TEE DELEGATES TO THE BRITISH CONVENTION . SINCLAIwRa s apprehended along with ...

Book 9  p. 257
(Score 2.35)

8 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES. No. CLXXIII. THE LAWNMARKET COACH ; A JOURNEY ALONG THE MOUND. THIS Print is commemorative of an affair connected with the formation of the Mound, or “ Mud Brig,” as, in olden time, it was not unfrequently called by the lower classes. The inconvenience arising from the want of direct communication between the Lawnmarket and Princes Street began to be seriously felt as the New Town extended towards the west. In 1783, when the Mound was first projected, Princes Street was built as far as Hanover Street. Prior to this, some individuals in Edinburgh had formed an association for the purpose of furthering Burgh Reform. Among the members were Lord Gardenstone, Robert Grahame of Gartmore, William Charles Little of Liberton, and several other gentlemen holding similar opinions. This movement in the capital was speedily responded to in the provinces, and delegates were despatched from almost all the Royal Burghs in Scotland to co-operate with the committee formed in Edinburgh. The first Convention was held in Mary’s Chapel, on the 25th March 1784-Mr. Little of Liberton,’ president-at which resolutions were passed declaratory of their rights as citizens. Some of the original promoters of the Burgh Reform Convention, encouraged by the success of their political exertions, began to agitate on the subject of local improvements. Residing chiefly either in the Lawnmarket or its neighbourhood, they had long felt the want of some kind of communication with Princes Street more direct than by the North Bridge. They at first thought of applying for aid by petition to the Town Council; but, recollecting how obnoxious their late proceedings must have rendered them to the corporation, they abandoned the idea, and resolved to open a subscription, which they did at “ Dunn’s Hotel,”’ for the purpose of constructing a thoroughfare. The subscription was Mr. Little lived in a house at the bottom of Brodie’s Close, Lawnmarket, built by his ancestor William Little, a magistrate of Edinburgh in the reign of James VI., and xhich was entailed in the family; it wa8 afterwards occupied by Deacon Brodie, from whom the Close obtained its name. The tenement was demolished to make room for the city improvements. Several of the carved stones, and other parts of the house, have been taken to Inch House (Mr. Little’s residence near Liberton), as relics of the habitation of the predecessors of the family. Mr. Little afterwards resided in a house forming the angle between Potterrow and Bristo Street, which was known, from its shape, by the name of the Ace of Czuhs. a A small phblic-house in the Lawnmarket, at the mouth of the uppermost entry to Jam& Court, kept by Robert Dunn, much frequented by the merchants at that period, and termed ‘‘Dum’s Hotel,” by way of burlesque-Dum’s elegant hotel in Princes Street having been then newly opened. ... BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES. No. CLXXIII. THE LAWNMARKET COACH ; A JOURNEY ALONG THE MOUND. THIS Print is ...

Book 9  p. 9
(Score 2.2)

358 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES. No. BXLIV. THOMAS ELDER, ESQ. OF FORNETH, LATE LORD PRQVOST OF ERINBURGH. TRIS gentleman held the office of Chief Magistrate of Edinburgh at the following different periods-first, from 1788 till 1790; again, from 1792 till 1794; and, lastly from 1796 till 1798. Great responsibility WCLS attachable to the office during the second period of his pravostship, in consequence of the disturbed state of the country, and the measures of agitation resorted to by the “Friends of the People.” Provost Elder exerted himself vigorously to check the inroad of democracy, Although the troops then scattered over Scotland were under two thousand, he ventured, assisted by a few only of the more respectable citizens of Edinburgh, to suppress the meeting of the memorable British Convention, held on the 5th December 1793, taking ten or twelve of the principal members prisoners; and, in a similar manner, on the 12th of December, he dissolved another meeting, held in the cock-pit at the Grassmarket. On the 13th January 1794 an immense crowd had assembled on occasion of the trial of Maurice Margarot, for the purpose of accompanying him to the Court of Justiciary. In anticipation of this, the Magistrates, City-Guard, and constables, with a number of respectable inhabitants, met at an early hour in the Merchants’ Hall, and sallying forth, with the Chief Magistrate at their head, about ten o’clock, they met Margarot and a number of his friends walking in procession under an ornamental arch, on which the words “Liberty, Justice,” etc. were inscribed. The canopy was instantly seized and thrown over the east side of the North Bridge; and, with the assistance of the crew of a frigate lying in Leith Roads, the crowd was dispersed, and the two arch-bearers captured. At ameeting of the Town Council on the 9th September, immediately previous to the annual change in that body, they “unanimously returned their thanks, and voted a piece of plate to the Right Hon. the Lord Provost, for his spirited and prudent conduct while in office, and especially during the late commotions.” On the formation of the Royal Edinburgh Volunteers, in the summer of 1794, Mr. Elder intended, on retiring from the provostship, to enter tbe ranks as a common volunteer ; but this resolution was rendered nugatory by a mark of distinction emanating from the members of the association. For obvious reasons the commission of Colonel was to be invested in the Chief Maa&trate ... of Edinburgh, to suppress the meeting of the memorable British Convention , held on the 5th December 1793, ...

Book 8  p. 500
(Score 2.09)

.BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES. 197 by some of the more desperate members of the British Convention to seduce the soldiers from their allegiance, or at all events to sow the seeds of discontent among them, but without effect. At Dumfries, where the corps was quartered in 1794, the following curious circumstance occurred :-“ One of the Hopetoun Fencibles, now quartered in that town,” says a newspaper of the day, “ was discovered to be a woman, after having been upwards of eighteen months in the service. The discovery was made by the tailor, when he was trying on the new clothes. It is remarkable that she has concealed her sex so long, considering she always slept with a comrade, and sometimes with two. She went by the name of John Nicolson, but her real name was Jean Clark. Previous to her assuming the character of a soldier, it seems she had accustomed herself to the dress and habits of a man; having been bred to the business of a weaver at Closeburn, and employed as a man-servant at Ecclefechan.” The services of the Hopetoun Fencibles were at first limited to Scotland, but were afterwards extended to England. They remained embodied till 1798, when they were disbanded, after the regular militia had been organised. His lordship afterwards, as Lord Lieutenant of the county of Linlithgow, embodied a yeomanry corps and a regiment of volunteer infantry, both of which were among the first that tendered their services to Government. These he commanded as Colonel, and took a deep interest and a very active part in training them, and rendering them efficient for the public service. During those times of alarm, when the country was threatened by foreign invasion, his influence, his fortune, and his personal exertions were steadily devoted to the public safety; and so much were his services appreciated by the Executive, that he was created a Baron of the United Kingdom in 1809, by the name, style, and title of Baron Hopetoun of Hopetoun. The Earl died at Hopetoun House, on the 29th May 1816, at the advanced age of 75. He married, in 1756, Elizabeth, daughter of the Earl of Northesk, by whom he had six daughters. They all died prior to himself, except Lady Anne, upon whom the Annandale estates devolved, and who married Admiral Sir William Johnstone. Inheriting from his ancestors high rank and ample fortune, Lord Hopetoun maintained the dignity and noble bearing of the ancient Scotch baron, with the humility of a Christian, esteeming the religious character of his family to be its highest distinction; and he was not more eminent for the regularity of his attendance on all the ordinances of religion, than for the sincerity and reverence with which he engaged in them. He was an indulgent landlord, a most munificent benefactor to the poor, and a friend to all who lived within the limits of his extensive domains. The following lines, written at the period of his death, describe his estimable character in glowing and forcible language :- ... 197 by some of the more desperate members of the British Convention to seduce the soldiers from their ...

Book 8  p. 277
(Score 2.07)

BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES. 267 misfortune, after a sharp combat of an hour and a half, to have expended every shot that we had of our artillery. Under such circumstances we were of course compelled to surrender.” According to his own account, Colonel Campbell at first experienced most honourable and humane treatment from the authorities at Boston. A sudden change, however, followed. In a letter addressed to General Howe, and forwarded to him through the hands of the Council at Boston, Colonel Campbell thus describes his situation :- . I Concord Gaol, February 14, 1777. * * “ I am lodged in a dungeon of twelve or thirteen feet square, whose sides are black with the grease and litter of successive criminals. Two doors, with double locks and bolts, shut me up from the yard, with an express prohibition to enter it, either for my health or the necessary calls of nature. “ Two small windows, strongly grated with iron, introduce a gloomy light to the apartment, and these are at this hour without a single pane of glass, although the season, for frost and snow, is actually in the extreme. In the corner of the cell, boxed up with the partition, stands a * which does not seem to have been cleared since its first appropriation to this convenience of malefactors. A loathsome black-hole, decorated with a pair of fixed chains, is granted me for my inner apartment, from whence a felon was but the moment before removed, to make way for your humble servant, and in which his litter to this hour remains. The attendance of a single servant on my person is also denied me, and every visit from a friend positively refused.” I . * * It was in this loathsome dwelling that Colonel Campbell pencilled the sketch of ‘‘ General Buttons Marching to Saratoga with Plunder.” During the Colonel’s confinement, a variety of events had occurred unfavourable to the British interest, -among others, the surrender of General Burgoyne and his small army, at the heights of Saratoga, on the 17th October 1777. General Buttons is accordingly represented on his march from the “field of spoil;” and, it must be granted, he has contrived to make the most of his limited means of conveyance. The cruel treatment of Colonel Campbell and other British officers by the Americans originated in the law of retaliation, which they considered themselves warranted in adopting by the conduct of the British towards Colonel Ethen Allan and General Lee, in treating them not as prisoners of war but as criminals. As soon as the Congress was informed of the capture of General Lee, they offered six field-officers-of whom Colonel Campbell was one-in exchange. This the British General (Howe) refused. It was contended in Findication of the British, however, that even waiving the peculiar relation in which the prisoners stood, as having violated their allegiance, they had proper attendants, and were comfortably lodged. The imprisonment of Colonel Campbell continued till the exchange of prisoners was effected in the month of February following-the capture of General Burgoyne having led to a speedy and amicable arrangement. ... SKETCHES. 267 misfortune, after a sharp combat of an hour and a half, to have expended every shot ...

Book 8  p. 373
(Score 1.91)

108 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES, but commencing the pillage too soon, the enemy rallied, and attacked the Russians- who were busy plundering-with so much impetuosity, that they were driven from the town in all directions. This untoward circumstance compelled the British to abandon the positions they had stormed, and to fall back upon their former station. Another attack on the stronghold of the enemy was made on the 3d of October. The conflict lasted the whole day, but the enemy abandoned their positions during the night. On this occasion Sir Ralph Abercromby had two horses shot under him. Sir John Moore was twice wounded severely, and reluctantly carried off the field; while the Marquis of Huntly (the late Duke of Gordon), who, at the head of the 92d regiment, was eminently dis. tinguished, received a wound from a ball in the shoulder. The Dutch and French troops having taken up another strong position between Benerwych and the Zuyder-Zee, it was resolved to dislodge them before they could receive reinforcements. A day of sanguinary fighting ensued, which continued without intermission until ten o'clock at night, amid deluges of rain, General Brune having been reinforced with six thousand additional men, and the ground he occupied being nearly impregnable, while the arms and ammunition of the British, who were all night exposed to the elements, were rendered useless, retreat became a measure of necessity. Upon this the Duke of York entered into an armistice with the Republican forces, by which the troops were allowed to embark for England, where they arrived in safety. No. LII. GENERAL SIR RALPH ABERCROMBY, K.B., VIEWING THE ARMY, ENCAMPED ON THE PLAINS OF EGYPT. IN the month of June 1800, General Abercromby was appointed Commanderin- Chief of the troops ultimately destined for Egypt. Owing to casualties unnecessary to mention, the armament did not reach the place of its destination till the 8th of March 1801, on which day the troops disembarked in Aboukir Bay, notwithstanding the strenuous efforts of the French to prevent them. On the 13th March, Sir Ralph attacked the French in their position, and succeeded, after a keen contest, in forcing them to retreat to the heights of Nicopolis. An attempt to take these heights, which were found to be comhanded by the guns of the fort, proved unsuccessful. The British took up the position formerly occupied by the enemy, with their right to the sea, and their left to the canal of Alexandria, thus cutting off all communication with the city. On the 18th the garrison of Aboukir surrendered. General Menou, the French commander, having been reinforced, attempted to take the British by surprise, and suddenly attacked their positions with his whole force, The enemy advanced with much impetuosity, shouting as they went, ... BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES, but commencing the pillage too soon, the enemy rallied, and attacked the Russians- who ...

Book 8  p. 158
(Score 1.79)

THE CASTLE. 123 Along the deeply arched vault which leads into the Argyle Battery, may be traced the openings for two portcullises, and the hinges of several successive gates that formerly guarded this important pass. In Sandby’s view, already referred to, from which the vignette at the head of this chapter is copied, this gateway is shown as finished with an embattled parapet, and a flat roof, on which a guard could be statioued for its defence ; but since then it has been disfigured by the erection over it of an additional building, of a very unornamental character, intended for the use of the master carpenter. The apartment immediately above the long vaulted archway, is a place of peculiar interest, as the ancient state prison of the Castle. Within this gloomy stronghold, both the Marquis and Earl of Argyle were most probably confined previous to trial ; and here also many of lesser note have been held in captivity at different periods, down to the eventful year 1746, when numerous noble and gallant adherents of the house of Stuart were confined in it, as well as others suspected of an attachment to the same cause.l The last state prisoners lodged in this stronghold were Watt and Downie, accused of high treason, in 1794, the former of whom was condemned and executed. It was at first, intended to have fulfilled the sentence of the law at the ancient place of execution for traitors, on the Castle Hill, but this being considered liable to be construed into a betrayal of fear on the part of Government, as seeking to place themoelves under the protection of the Castle guns, he was ultimately executed in the Lawnmarket. The only other objects of ipterest in the outer fortress are the Governor’s House, a building probably erected in the reign of Queen Anne, and the Armoury, immediately behind it, where a well appointed store of arms \s preserved, neatly arranged, intermixed with some relics of ancient warfare. In the exterior fortificatione, to the west of the Armoury, may still be traced the archway of the ancient postern, which has been built up for many years. Here Viscount Dundee held his conference with the Duke of Gordon, when on his way to raise the Highland cla.ns in favour of King James, while the Convention were assembled in the Parliament House, and were proceeding to settle the crown upon William and Mary. With only thirty of his dragoons, he rode down Leith Wynd, and along what was called the Long-Gate, a road nearly on the present line of Princes Street, while the town was beating to arms to pursue him. Leaving his men at the Kirkbrae- head, he clambered .up the rock at this place, and urgently besought the Duke to accompany him to the HighlandR, and summon his numerous vassals to rise on behalf of King James. The Duke, however, preferred to remain and hold out the Castle for the terror of the Convention, and Dundee hastily pursued his way to Stirling.’ On this same site we may, with every probability, presume the ancient postern to have stood, through which the body of the pious Queen Margaret was secretly conveyed in the year 1093, while the fortress was besieged by Donald Bane, the usurper.* The most interesting buildings, however, in the Castle, are to be found, as might be ’ The rebel ladiw are also said to have been confined there, and Lady OgiMe made her escape in the drem of a * Minor Antiquitiea, p. 65. * Ante, p. 3. It has been stated (Walks in Edinburgh, p 52), but, we think, without su5cient evidence, that the Castle was without fortifications on the west and north siderr until recent period, tradition assigning their fimt erection to William 111. But the same walls that still exist appear in (lordon’s map, 1648, with the remains of ruinous buildinga attnched to them, proving their antiquity at that earlier date. washerwoman, brought by Wias Balmain, who remained in her stead ; she was allowed afterwards to go free. ... CASTLE. 123 Along the deeply arched vault which leads into the Argyle Battery, may be traced the openings for ...

Book 10  p. 134
(Score 1.76)

BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES, 215 period the Count frequently Visited London, from whence, it is said, he directed the operations of the Chouans in Bretagne. He also visited Sweden in 1804, and again returned to Britain in 1806. CHARLES PHILIP COUNT DARTOIS, brother of Louis XVI., was born in 1757.’ “At the beginning of the Revolution he declared against its principles, and was one of the most zealous defenders of the royal prerogatives.” At length a price having been set on his head by the Convention, he was under the necessity of withdrawing himself from France; and, from 1789 till 1794, continued a wanderer among various continental courts. Towards the end of the last-mentioned year the British Government granted him an allowance, when he embarked for Britain. Previous to the Revolution, which proved so destructive to his family, the Count is described to have been the most gay, gaudy, fluttering, accomplished, luxurious, and expensive Prince in Europe.” He married Maria Theresa, daughter of the King of Sardinia, in 1773, by whom he had two sons,-the eldest of whom, the Duc d‘Angouleme, accompanied him in his exile, and arrived at Holyrood House a few days after his father. The life of the Count d‘iirtois has been very much chequered. On the restoration of the Bourbon dynasty in 1815, his elder brother, the Count de Provence, ascended the throne of France as Louis XVIII., and on his death the Count succeeded to the crown under the title of Charles X.; but the well-known recent events of the “ Glorious Three Days ” again drove him and his family into exile. In 1830 he once more took up his residence at Holyrood, where he resided with the Duc and Duchess d‘iingouleme, and his grandson the Duc de Bourdeaux, till 1833, when he retired to Gratz, a town of Illyria in the Austrian dominions. There he died of inflammation in the bowels, November 6, 1836, in the seventy-fifth year of his age. L , Can Scotia hear my mournful tale, And Scotia not afford relief? Oh ! let the voice of woe prevail- Thy tenderness will soothe my grief.” When the Count revisited Holyrood aa Charles X., the author of these lines then presented him with a few lines of condolence and congratulation by the hand of a confidential friend. In December 1763 the subject of this notice acted a part in a little drama of compliment with which David Hume was treated at t4e French Court, in consideration of his literary merits. We make the following extract from a letter of Hume to Dr. Robertson :-“What happened last week, when I had the honour of being presented to the Dauphin’s children at Versailles, is one of the most curious scenes I have yet passed through. The Due de B. (Bourdeaux, afterwards Louis XVI.), the eldest, 8 boy ten years old, stepped forth, and told me how many friends and admirers I had in this country, and that he reckoned himself in the number, from the pleasure he had received from reading many passages of my works. When he had finished, the Count de P. ‘(Provence, afterwards Louis XVIII.), who is two years younger, began his discourse, and informed me that I had been long and impatiently expected in France ; and that he himself expected soon to have great satisfnction from the reading of my fine history. But, what is more curious, when I waa carried thence to the Count d’A (Artois), who is but four (six) years of age, I heard him mumble something, which, though he had forgot it in the way, I conjectured, from some scattered words, to have been also a panegyric dictated to him. Nothing could more surprise my friends, the Parisian philosophers, than thia incident.”- RITCHIE’S Life of H u e , 155. ... SKETCHES, 215 period the Count frequently Visited London, from whence, it is said, he directed the ...

Book 8  p. 303
(Score 1.75)

266 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES. No. CVII. GENERAL BUTTONS, AN AMERICAN OFFICER. OF this hero of the “War of Independence,” nothing farther is known than the fact that such a person did actually serve in the American army. “ The drawing,” says Kay, in his MS., “ from which this Print is taken, was done by Colonel Campbell, while confined in prison in America, after the treaty of Saratoga. Through a small hole-the only aperture for light in his dungeon-the Colonel had frequent opportunities of seeing General Buttons ; and, notwithstanding the gloomy nature of his situation, he could not resist the impulse of taking a sketch of such a remarkable military figure.” This sketch he sent home for the amusement of his friends, by whom it was communicated to the artist, for the purpose of more extended circulation. Whether this excellent counterpart of the “ Knight of the Rueful Countenance” be a faithful representation of “ Provincial General Buttons,” or heightened in its unique grotesque appearancs by the fancy of the caricaturist, is a matter of no great moment. The circumstances under which it was pencilledthe state of political feeling in this country at the period-and the penchant which even yet exists for enjoying a little wit at the expense of brother Jonathan, were sufficient to stamp a value on the production, independent of its own intrinsic claims to merit. Lieutenant-Colonel Campbell was taken prisoner by the Americans in 1716. It appears that, unapprised of the evacuation of Boston by the British troops, he had attempted, in compliance with his orders, to make a landing at that port. His small force consisted of two transports, the George and Annabella, with two companies of the 71st Regiment. On reaching the mouth of the harbour, they were attacked by four American privateers, which, with very unequal means, they repulsed ; and, under the fire of an American battery, bore right into the harbour, where, one of the vessels running aground, Colonel Campbell was under the necessity of coming to anchor with the other. Here he soon discovered the perilous nature of the situation in which he was placed. The four schooners with whom he had formerly been engaged, being joined by an armed brig, immediately surrounded him, took their stations within two hundred yards, and hailed him t’o strike the British flag. “Although,” says Captain Campbell, “ the mate of our ship, and every .sailor on board, the Captain only excepted, refused positively to fight any longer, there was not an officer, non-commissioned officer, nor private man of the 71st, but what stood to their quarters, with a ready and cheerful obedience. On our refusing to strike the British flag, the action was renewed with a good deal of warmth on both sides ; and it was our ... BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES. No. CVII. GENERAL BUTTONS, AN AMERICAN OFFICER. OF this hero of the “War of ...

Book 8  p. 371
(Score 1.67)

326 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES. of Methven; William Smythe, Esq., advocate; and the Rev. Patrick M. Smythe, of Tanworth, in the county of Warwick;’ and two daughters, the eldest of whom was married to the Right Hon. David Boyle, Lord Justice-clerk. No. CCLXXX. GENERAL FRANCIS DUNDAS, SIR HENRY JARDINE, SIR ROBERT DUNDAS OF BEECHWOOD, BART., CAPTAIN HAY, THE LATE EARL OF EGLINTON, AND THE MISSES MAXWELL, ETC. THIS Print is highly illustrative of society in the Scottish metropolis during the warlike era of the Volunteers. On the Castle Hill, Princes Street, or the Meadow Walks, similar groups might be daily witnessed. The first and most conspicuous of the military gentlemen is the late GENERAL FRANCIS DUNDAS, son of the second President Dundas, and brother of the late Lord Chief Baron. At the time the Engraving was executed, in 1795, he was Colonel of the Scots Brigade-a corps long distinguished in the service of Holland, and afterwards embodied in the British line as the 94th regiment. Colonel Dundas attained the rank of Major-General in 1795 ; Lieut.-General in 1802; and General in 1812. In 1809, he was appointed Colonel of the 71st light infantry, six companies of which were draughted in 1810 to serve in Spain under the Duke of Wellington. In 1802-3 he was Governor of Cape of Good Hope, During the brief peace of Amiens, in accordance with his instructions to evacuate the colony, the garrison had embarked on board the British squadron ; but having, on the evening of embarkation, fortunately received counter-orders, the General relanded 1 Another son, George Smythe, Esq., advocate, was unfortunately killed by a fall from a gig. This gentleman was a member of the Bannatyne Club, and contributed for the use of that Society a very curious and valuable volume, entitled “Letters of John Grahame of Claverhouse, Viscount of Dundee, with illustrative documents.” Edin. 1826, 4to. ... BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES. of Methven; William Smythe, Esq., advocate; and the Rev. Patrick M. Smythe, of ...

Book 9  p. 434
(Score 1.48)

HISTORICAL AND DESCRIPTIVE NOTES. 59 situated the Waverfey Bridge and East Princes Street Gardens ; here, from a littIe above the Imperial Hotel, the accompanying view of the North Bridge is taken. The castellated turrets of the Jail tell in relief against the eastern NOKI’H BRIDGE IN la*. sky ; down the slope the Royal High School is diinty seen in the morning haze; in the middle distance rises the North Bridge, with its nngraceful modem parapet, contrasting unfavourably with the original structure. The . . .. . . . . NOHTH BRIDGE IN 177% alterations which have gradually taken pIace here within the last twenty years are very marked. On the site of the old Green Market rises the new spacious station of the North British Railway, on the north side of which is situated - ... AND DESCRIPTIVE NOTES. 59 situated the Waverfey Bridge and East Princes Street Gardens ; here, from a ...

Book 11  p. 94
(Score 1.45)

BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES. 107 ports were lost. The remainder of the fleet reached the West Indies in safety, and by the month ‘of March 1796 the troops were in B condition for active duty. The General succeeded in driving the French from all their possessions, and, assisted by part of a new convoy from Britain, was enabled to capture the island of Trinidad from the Spaniards. Sir Ralph next made an attack upon the Spanish island of Puerto Rico, which proved unsuccessful, but without by any means tarnishing his previously well-earned laurels. On his return to this country in 1797, he was received with every demonstration of public respect. He was presented by his Majesty with the Colonelcy of the Scots Greys-invested with the honour of the Order of the Bath-rewarded with the lucrative governments of Fort-George and Fort-Augustus, and, on the 26th of January, he was raised to the rank of Lieutenant-General in the Army. Sir Ralph was next appointed to the chief command in Ireland, where the flame of civil war was threatening to burst forth. After visiting a great portion of the kingdom, and restoring in a great degree the discipline of the army, which, in the Commander’s own words, had become, from their irregularities, “more formidable to their friends than their enemies,” the General was removed by the Marquis Cornwallis, who united the offices of Lord- Lieutenant and Commander-in-Chief in his own person, much to the satisfaction of Sir Ralph, who was anxious to leave Ireland. He was then appointed Commander of the Forces in Scotland. In 1798, Sir Ralph was selected to take charge of the expedition sent out to Holland for the purpose of restoring the Prince of Orange to the Stadtholdership, from which he had been ejected by the French. In this expedition the British were at the outset successful. The first and well-contested encounter with General Daendell, on the 27th of August, near the Helder Point, in which the Dutch were defeated, led to the immediate evacuation of the Helder, by which thirteen ships of war and three Indiamen, together with the arsenal and naval magazine, fell an easy prey to the British. The Dutch fleet also surrendered to Admiral Mitchell, the sailors refusing to fight against the Prince of Orange. This encouraging event, however, by no means spoke the sentiments of the mass of the Dutch people, or disconcerted the enemy. On the morning of the 11th of September, the Dutch and French forces attacked the position of the British, which extended from Petten on the German Ocean, to Oude-Sluys on the Zuyder-Zee. The onset was made with the utmost bravery, but the enemy were repulsed with the loss of a thousand men. Sir Ralph, from the want of numbers, was unable to follow up this advantage, until the Duke of York arrived as Commander-in-Chief, with a number of Russians, Batavians, and Dutch volunteers, which aupented the allied army to nearly thirty-six thousand. An attempt upon the enemy’s positions on the heights of Camperdown being agreed upon, on the morning of the 19th September the allied forces successfully commenced the attack The Russians made themselves masters of Bergen; ... SKETCHES. 107 ports were lost. The remainder of the fleet reached the West Indies in safety, and by ...

Book 8  p. 157
(Score 1.43)

356 OLD ANI) NEW EDINBURGH. [North Bridge. night. for his journey there and back, the channel of the Gala, which, for a considerable distance was parallel with the road, being, when not flooded, the track chosen as most level and easy for the traveller. At this period and long before, there was a set of horse ?cadgers,? who plied regularly between different places, and in defiance of the laws, carried more letters than ever passed through the Edinburgh office in those days. In 1757 the revenue amounted to A10,623, accorcling to Arnot ; in that year the mail was upon the road from London 87 hours, and, oddly enough, from Edinburgh back 131 hours ; but by the influence of the Convention of Royal Burghs, these hours were reduced to Xz and 85 respec- Postmaster-General, and nine years after, the mails began to be conveyed from stage to stage byrelays of fresh horses, and different post-boys, to the principal places in Scotland; but the greater pxtion of the bags were conveyed by foot-runners j far the condition of the roads from Edinburgh would not admit of anything like rapid travelling. The most direct, at times, lay actually in the channels of streams. The common carrier from Edinburgh to Selkirk, 38 miles, required a fortburgh staff consisted of ten persons, exclusive of the letter carriers. In 1776 the first stagecoach came to Edinburgh on the 10th April, having performed the journey from London in sixty hours. In the same year the penny post was established in Scotland by Peter Williamson, to whom we have referred elsewhere. This man was the Rowland Hill of his day, and the postal authorities seeing the importance of such a source of revenue, gave him a pension for the goodwill of the business, and the Scottish penny posts were afterwards confirmed to the General Post by an Act of Parliament in 1799. In 1781 the number of post-towns in Scotland consisted of 140, and the staff at Edinburgh tively; and 1763 beheld a further improvement, when the London mails were increased from three to five. Previously they had travelled in such a dilatory manner, that in the winter the letters I which left London on Tuesday night were not distributed m Edinburgh till the Sunday following, between sermons. In 1765 there was a penny postage for letters borne one stage; and in 1771, when Oliphant of Rossie was Deputy Postmaster-General, the Edin ... OLD ANI) NEW EDINBURGH. [North Bridge. night. for his journey there and back, the channel of the Gala, which, ...

Book 2  p. 356
(Score 1.42)

BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES. 177 Butler and Oliver Bond were summoned before the House of Lords, on account of “a paper issued by the United Irishmen.” They at once avowed the publication, but asserted that it contained nothing either illegal or unconstitutional. They were ordered to withdraw, however, when the House voted the paper a “ scandalous libel” on their privileges j and a motion by the Earl of Westmeath was agreed to, that the parties should be fined each in 3500, and imprisoned for six months. Mr. Butler and Mr. Bond were then called to the bar-the Chancellor pronounced the sentence of the House, and they were immediately conducted to Newgate. On the expiry of his term of imprisonment, Mr. Butler accompanied his friend Hamilton Rowan to Scotland, as already described; and for some time continued to aid in directing the proceedings of the body with which he had become associated. Compelled at length to consult his safety in fight, he fled to Wales, where, according to Musgrave-whose statements must be taken with caution-he ‘( died in great poverty.” In the Annual Register for 1797 his death, which occurred on the 19th May, is thus recorded :-“In his fortieth year, the Hon. Simon Butler, third son of Edmund, the late Lord Viscount Mountgarret, of the. kingdom of Ireland, brother of the late, and uncle of the present Earl of Kilkenny. In 1794 he married Eliza, second daugheer of Edward Lynch of Hampstead, near Dublin, Esq., by whom he has left one only child, named Edward Lynch Butler, an infant about nine months old. His remains were deposited in the vaults belonging to St. James’s Church.” No. CCXXXI. CITIZEN M. C. BROWNE. ALMOSnTot hing more is known of this individual than what is communicated by the inscription on the Print. He was an enthusiastic admirer of the French Republic; and it was at his suggestion that many of the most obnoxious republican phrases were adopted by the Reformers of Scotland in 1793. In the evidence of Filliam Canulge-on the trial of Thomas Hardy, of the London Corresponding Society, in 1794-BROWNE is thus mentioned in allusion to the Sheffield Association :-“ The Society chose Mathew Campbell Browne, as delegate to the Scotch Convention at Edinburgh j upon which occasion he waa sent to him with a supply of cash, ten pounds of which he received from Sheffield, and ten pounds from Leeds. He knew not how the money was raised, but had received it from Mr. Yateg who had since quitted Sheffield.” VOL IL 2A ... SKETCHES. 177 Butler and Oliver Bond were summoned before the House of Lords, on account of “a ...

Book 9  p. 237
(Score 1.41)

INDEX TO THE PORTRAITS, ETC. 489 NO. Page the Green” .............................. ccxli 214 ing unlawful oaths .............. .cclxxxix 353 M‘Kellar, Alexander ; or “The Cock 0’ M‘Kinlay, Andrew, tried for administer- N XAPOLEOI.N, E mperor ...............c ccxxxri 478 Nugent, Mr., of the Pembrokeshire Cavalry ............................... ..cccxlv 479 0 O’BRIES, the Irish Giant. .................. ccx 116 Oman, Mr. Charles ........................ cclxiv 283 P PAINE, Mr. Thomas, Secretary for Foreign Affairs to the American Congress .......................... ,..ccxxxiv 184 Paul, Emperor of Russia. ............. .cccxxxii 477 Peddie, Rev. Dr. James, of the Associate Congregation, Bristo Street ... cclxxrvii 351 Peddie, Rev. Dr. James, in 1810 ... cclxxxviii 352 Peddie, Rev. Dr. James ..............c ccxxxix 479 Pierie, E. Alexander ................... .cccviii 411 Pitt, Right Hon. William ................. cclvi 257 Pratt, George .............................. .clxxxi 30 I’rrtt, George, and a Fool .............. cccxliii 479 Pringle, John, Esq. ........................ cclxvi 289 Penny, Mrs .................................. clxxiii 15 Pitt, Right Hon. William .................. cclv 255 R RAE, Mr. John, surgeon-dentist ...... .cclxiv 283 Rae, Mr. John, surgeon-dentist ........ cclxvi 289 Rigg, James Hume, Esq., of Norton ... ccxxi 148 Ritchie, Mr. Alexander, Scotch cloth Robertson, William, Lord Robertson.. ... ccc 383 Robertson, William, Lord Robertson cccxii 417 Robinson, Wm. Rose, Esq., Sheriff of Lanark.. ............................. .cccxxvi 465 Rocheid, James, Esq., of Inverleith clxxxvii 46 Rose, John, Esq., of Holme, in the uniform of the Grant Fencibles. ... cccxxvii 466 Ross, Mathew, Esq., Dean of Faculty cccxx 43f Ross, Mr. W. BI., deacon of the tailors ccxcv 372 Rowan, Archibald Hamilton, Esq., of Billileagh, in Ireland ............... ccxxx 167 VOL. II. Kanken, William, Esq.. ..................... ccx 117 shop. ................................... .clxxiii 11 9 No. Page Scorn, milliam. ........................ eelxxviii 322 Scott, Mr. David, farmer, Northfield cccxiv 425 Scott, Sir Walter, Bart. ................ cccxxvi 463 Service Rewarded, Faithful. ............... ccxi 118 Session, Last Sitting of the Old Court of ccc 380 Session, Second Division of the Court of .......................................... cccxii 417 Set-to, A Political ; or “Freedom of Election” Illustrated. ............... cccvii 401 Simeon, Rev. Charles, A.M. of Tiinity Church, Cambridge’ ................... cckx 296 Sinclair, Mr. Charles, one of the delegates to the British Convention ccxxxvii 191 Sinclair, Sir John, Bart. of Ulbster ....... cxciii 61 Skey, Major, of the Shropshire Militia. .............................. cccxxviii 468 Skinner, Mr. WiIIiam ................... ..cccvii 402 Skirving, Citizen ........................... ccclix 481 Smith, Mrs., in the costume of 1795 ... cccxv 425 Smythe, David, Lord Methven. ...... cclxxix 325 Sommers, Mr. Thomas, his Majesty’s glazier. ..................................... .ccl 235 Steele, John, aged 109 years ............ ccxcvi 375 Stewart, Archibald Macarthur, Esq., of Ascog. ................................... .ccxxi 150 Stirling, Sir James, Bart.. ............... cclviii 263 Stonefield, Lord .............................. cxciv 71 Struthers, Rev. Janes, of the Relief Chapel, College Street. .............. .ccxv 133 Struthers, Rev. James, of thc Relief Chapel ................................... ccxvi 134 Suttie, Margaret, a hawker of salt. ... ccxxix 166 Sym, Robert, Esq., Writer to the Signet ................................ .cccxxiii 455 Syme, Old Geordie, a famous piper ... ccxviii 137 T TAIT, Old John, the broom-maker ..... ccxx 143 Taylor, Quarter-Master.. ............. ..clxxxvii 48 Tronmen, The City; or Chimncy- Sfi-eepen. .............................. ccxxiv 155 Turnbull, Rev. Dr. Alexander, of Dalladies .................................. ccxxviii 163 Tytler, Alexander Fraser, Lord Woodhouselee ... ccc 380 Tytler, Alex. Fraser, Lord Woodhowlee ................................. cccxii 417 V VYSE, Lieut.-General, in command of the Forces in Scotland. .......... cclxxxri 349 3 R ... 296 Sinclair, Mr. Charles, one of the delegates to the British Convention ccxxxvii 191 Sinclair, Sir John, ...

Book 9  p. 680
(Score 1.4)

Inverleith.] THE ROYAL BOTANIC GARDENS. 47 arrangement of British plants according to the Natural System ; a general collection of the hardy plants of all countries, and a series of medicinal plants. There are also a collection of European plants, according to the Linnzean System, and an extensive arboretum, a rosery, and splendid parterres ; a winter garden, museum, lecture-room, and library; a magnetic observatory and aquarium; with a construction of terraced rockeries, 190 feet long, by IZO wide. ranged geographically, so as to enable the students to examine the flora of the different countries ; and there is a general arrangement of flowering plants, illustrating the orders and genera of the entire world. There is likewise a grouping of cryptogamic plants, and special collections of other plants, British, medicinal, and economical. The usual number 01 students in the garden in summer averages about 300, and the greatest WARRISTON HOUSE. A public arboretum, comprising about thirty acres, along the west side of the Botanic Gardens, was obtained for A18,408 from the city funds, and ~16,000 from Government, This was sanctioned by the Town Council in 1877; and this large addition to the original garden was opened in April, 1881, and Inverleith House became the official residence of the Regius Keeper. Students have ample facilities for studying the plants in the garden; the museum is open at all times to them, and the specimens contained in it are used for illustrating the lectures. The University Herbarium is kept in the large hall, and can be consulted under the direction of the professor of botany, or his assistant. In it the plants are ar- 109 number is above 500. The fresh specimens of plants used for lectures and demonstrations averages above 47,300. By agreement, it has been provided that the arboretum, mentioned above, should be placed under the Public Parks Regulations Act of 1872, and be maintained in all time coming by the Government. The trustees of both Sir William Fettes and Mr. Rocheid were bound to provide proper accesses, by good roads and avenues, to the ground and to give access by the private avenue leading from St. Bernard?s Row to Inverleith House. Another avenue was also stipulated for, which was to join the road from Inverleith Place, westward to Fettes College. ... THE ROYAL BOTANIC GARDENS. 47 arrangement of British plants according to the Natural System ; a ...

Book 5  p. 97
(Score 1.39)

277 --_ - b r d Prumts.1 THE FIRST MAGISTRATE. c- CHAMBERS STREET. CHAPTER XXXIV. THE L9RD PROVOSTS OF EDINBURGH. The FLt Magistrate of EdinburghSome noted Prwosts-William de Dedzryl., Alderman-John Wigmer and the Ransom of David 1 I.- John of Quhitness, First Provost -Willkm Bertraham-The Golden Charter-City Pipers-Archibald Bell-the-cat-Lord Home- Arran and Kilspindie-Lord Maxwell-? Greysteel s ? Penance-James VI. and the Council-Lord Fyvie-Provost Tod and Gordon?s Map-The First Lord Provost-George Drurnmond-Freedom of the City given to Benjamin Franklin-Sir Lawrence Dundas and the Parliamentary Contest-Sir James Hunter Blair--Riots of 179-Provost Coulter?s Funeral--Lord Lynedoch-Recent Provosts-The First Englishman who w u Lord Provost of Edinburgh. THE titles by which the chief magistrate is known are ? The Right Honourable the Lord Provost of the City of Edinburgh, Her Majesty?s Lieutenant and High Sheriff within the same and Liberties thereof, Justice of the Peace for the County of Midlothian, and Admiral of the Firth of Forth,?? &c. A sword and mace are always borne before hiin. It has been suggested that at some early period the chief magistrate had an official residence, and Lawson, in his Gazetteer, gives us a tradition that it was in the well-known alley from the High Street to the Public Markets, ?now called the Fleshmarket Close, but formerly the Provost?s CZose..? Few Highland names appear among those of the chief magistrates before the fifteenth century, while in the earlier ages many Norman and Saxon are to be found, as these elements existed largely in the Lowlands. We have the son of Malcolm 111. addressing his subjects thus :--?Eadgarus Rex Scotorum, omnibus per regnum suum Scotis et AngZi~, salufem,? with reference no doubt to the English Border counties, then a portion of the realm. Although seven aldermen and three provosts appear among the first men in authority over Edinburgh, it is probable that the office of bailie, bailiff, or rent-gatherer, is more ancient than either, as such an officer was originally appointed by the king ta collect revenues and administer justice within the burghs. In 1296 the first magistrate, whose name can be traced to Edinburgh, was William de Dederyk, aZdermarr; he appears as such in ?Prynne?s Records of the Tower, and the Ragman Rolls.? In the preceding year John Baliol held a Parliament at Edinburgh, and a convention of the burgesses of ... --_ - b r d Prumts.1 THE FIRST MAGISTRATE. c- CHAMBERS STREET. CHAPTER XXXIV. THE L9RD PROVOSTS OF ...

Book 4  p. 277
(Score 1.38)

BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES. 23 of his that every yoiing-man should start in life with a determinate object in view. “He himself had resolved (when he had little prospect of accomplishing it, being a younger son) to have a house and establishment in London; and by so doing he had succeeded.” In his youth the General was a very active man, and was esteemed a brave and excellent soldier. Latterly he became corpulent ; but, notwithstanding, he lived in the enjoyment of excellent health to the age of eighty-six. He died at Ballindalloch on the 13th April 1806, and was buried, according to his own directions, at a favourite spot overlooking his improvements. No. CLXXIX. THE RIGHT HON. THE EARL OF RIOIRA, COMMANDER-IN-CHIEF OF THE FORCES IN SCOTLAND. FRANCISSE COND EARL OF MOIRA in Ireland, and afterwards MARQUISO F HASTINGiSn England, was born December 9, 1754. After finishing his education at Oxford, he made a short tour on the Continent, and then entered the army as an Ensign in the 15th Regiment of Foot, September 1771.’ Three years subsequently he obtained a lieutenancy in the 6th Foot, with which regiment he embarked for America, and was present at the battle of Bunker’s Hill. The promotion of his lordship was subsequently rapid. He obtained a company in the 63d; was next appointed Aide-de-camp to Sir Henry Clinton; and, in 1778, was made Adjutant-General of the British Army in America, with the rank of Lieut.-Colonel. He was present at the battles of Brooklyn and White Plains ; at the attacks of Fort Washington and Fort Clinton ; and was actively employed in the retreat of the British from Philadelphia to New York, as well as in the engagement which followed at Monmouth, and at the siege of Charleston. He commanded the left wing at the battle of Camden ; and, having been left with a small force to defend the frontiers of South Carolina, he perfornied one of the most brilliant achievements of the war by attacking and defeating the vastly superior forces under General Green at HobkirkhilL A short time prior to the termination of hostilities in America, he was, in consequence of severe illness, compelled to quit the army. The vessel in which he sailed for Britain was captured and carried iuto Brest ; but his lordship was almost immediately relieved. He was promoted to the rank of Colonel, appointed one of his Majesty’s Aides-de- On his arrival in England he was well received by his Sovereign. Brydges’ Edition of Collins, vol. vi. p. 688. Lond. 1812. 81-0. ... SKETCHES. 23 of his that every yoiing-man should start in life with a determinate object in view. ...

Book 9  p. 31
(Score 1.33)

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