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
