MR. PINKERTON TO THE EARL OF BUCHAN. March 27th, 1790.

I was duly honored with both your lordship's favors of the 5th and 10th instant, and am always very happy to hear of your lordship's exertions in favor of our ancient literature. The intelligence concerning Wallace pleases me particularly; and, in compliance with your lordship's desire, prefixed are the arguments which I composed for my own satisfaction, and which the editors may make what use of they please. The portrait of Wallace is surely a mistake. Even in France, paintings of monarchs can hardly be got of the fourteenth century. If this piece be in oil colors, its falsehood is evident, or if on canvass. If in distemper, and on board, it may be of the fourteenth century; but surely not of Wallace, who only shone for eighteen months, then sunk into a most obscure situation. By the by, it would be a favor, if your lordship would give me some account of the portrait of James I. published by the Morisons, by what means it got into Germany, and was discovered there, &c.

Barbour's poem will be published in a fortnight Lindsay's pieces, &c. in not less than four months. I thank your lordship for the hint about the Westminster cloisters; and any other hints that can serve my proposed history will be very acceptable. Is there any thing of much importance in the papal Bulls recovered by your lordship? I should be happy to know if Lord

This letter is not preserved.

Hailes made any collections about the Stuart family.

The Morisons, if they choose, may leave Drummond of Hawthornden to me: I mean in time to give an edition, with the parallel passages of the Italian Poets, &c. But an edition by them will do no harm, especially if they can get any fresh anecdotes of his life from his papers. If they would print the best unpublished pieces in the Bannatyne manuscript and in that of the late Lord Auchinleck, they would do great service, and acquire the additional merit of original editors. They are very welcome to print the second part of Dunbar's Poems, from the Maitland Pieces. All my publications are pro bono publico.

I shall with pleasure superintend the publication of Winton's Chronicle, in any shape that the subscribers would prefer. I have a copy of that in the Advocates' Library, compared with other copies in Scotland, and prepared for the press by Mr. Seton in 1724; but I must inform your lordship that it would be cheating the subscribers to publish from any but the Royal manuscript, which is infinitely superior in accuracy to all the others. If your lordship and Mr. Davidson would patronise the work, by procuring subscriptions, it might be printed complete, in four volumes, 8vo.; and one hundred subscriptions at two, or fifty at four guineas each, would defray the expense, with what subscriptions I might get here.

THE EARL OF BUCHAN TO MR. PINKERTON.

Dryburgh Abbey, April 9th, 1790.

I have written to Mr. Davidson on the subject of my proposed publication of Winton's Chronicle, from the manuscript in the King's Library, with your generous assistance; and, if I find a sufficient number of subscribers to meet your proposal, I shall lose no time in informing you, that the transcript may be set on foot by your inter

vention.

When I have the pleasure of corresponding with Lord Hailes, I shall sound him on the subject of his history of the Stuarts of the Scotish line, which, from his age and scruples about some disputed points in the Annals of Robert II., I believe he does not intend to produce.

By the liberal assistance of the worthy Mr. Astle, I have no doubt of your collecting ample materials for your history of Scotland from the accession of the Earl of Carrick to the throne of the Scots, to the death of James V., where I hope you intend to finish your narration.

Afterwards, you would get into beaten tracks and into controversy, which I wish you to avoid. I send you, subjoined to this letter, a list of papers in the cloisters at Westminster, which I had in the year eighty-six from Mr. Astle;* and there,

* A few of the most interesting papers in the cloisters relative to the reigns of James III. IV. and V. of Scotland. 1486. July 3. Confirmation of Peace between the Kings.

An answer to a solicitation, or letter of advice, of Henry

in the Paper-office, and in the Marquis of Lansdowne's Library, you will meet with excellent materials for your work.

Whatever I can do for you in Scotland you may freely suggest. Uniformly desirous of promoting the advancement of useful learning, I rejoice in being superior to vulgar prejudice, which is found as commonly among the great as among the people.

The Papal Bulls hitherto transcribed for me at Rome, contain no new historical facts.

They

to the Scotish Nobles, to remove the Duke of Albany from the government of the young King-sealed with the seals of the chiefs of the Scots.

1492. Writings about the Truce.

1499. The Lord Bothwell and Sir Thomas Tod promise to deliver to Henry, the young King of Scots, for which they acknowledge to have had an advance of 1667. 13s. 4d.

1493. June 25. Sir William Tyler's bond to pay the Abbot of Cambuskenneth fifty pounds.-(A bribe.)

1502. Letter of James IV. to Henry, wherein he declares, that whereas, in a certain Treaty, he had named the King of England King of France, he had done it unawares. This done by the advice of his ambassador in France, Bishop Foreman.

1504. An account of the honorable treatment of Margaret, and of the adorning of her person.

1516. Jan. 8. Articles of agreement between James and Henry VIII., made by the Duke of Albany during the minority-sealed with the seals of thirty-four of the nobility of Scotland.

These are a few only of a large bundle which you will examine.

* In a subsequent letter, which I have not printed, Lord Buchan tells Mr. Pinkerton that he has found among these Bulls," a pardon for the burning of a Bishop, and killing his

are from the middle of the reign of Alexander II. to that of Alexander III. Whatever I have, or shall come to my hands that can serve your purpose, shall be transmitted.

I have reason to believe that the portrait sent me from Kielberg near Tübingen in Suabia by Mr. Goguel the younger, counsellor of the Duke of Wirtemberg, is of James III., and not James I., as he supposed; because the portraits in the gallery are all of them of contemporary sovereigns, Edward IV., Henry VI., &c.

Mr. Van Lytram, the former proprietor of Kielberg, had an ancestor, who was passionately fond of foreign travel, and visited most of the courts in Europe, whence it was his pride to bring portraits of the reigning princes and reigning beauties, which he placed in a Gallery at Kielberg, where they yet remain, and were pointed out to me by my maternal uncle, the late Sir James Stewart Denham, Bart., who resided some time at Tübingen on account of the education of his son.

people, in Caithness, in the thirteenth century;" and, speaking of the state of the Advocates' Library at that period, he says, "I shall be ready to cause this Library to be ransacked, if 1 learn in what point it may be useful; for such is the scandalous disorder of that collection of manuscripts, that nothing but the wish to illustrate the history of my country in your hands or in the hands of a person of equal ability would induce me to undertake it."