No. CLXXXV. M' Murray (afterwards Earl of Mansfield) to the Lord President. My Dear Lord, I THIS instant had the favour of yours; and you will forgive my answering it directly, tho' in a Word, rather than to wait in hope of an opportunity of writing more at large. I am very seriously concerned at the account you give me of your health; and I am afraid it is a consequence of too close an application, and too much anxiety. You have undertaken a great work; and, by all the Accounts here, you have already succeeded beyond what any man could have thought possible in so short a time. The best Argument I can use to you, to manage your health, is, to desire you to consider of what importance it is to the Public. Was you known here no otherwise than by the great Character you have acquired in the Office you now enjoy, which every body is full of, I think you would find support against the Opposition you apprehend; but you have so many personal friends of all denominations, that were you quite retired from the world, and leading a private life, the Person you mean would be wiser than to engage in so unreasonable and so personal a contest with you, be his inclinations what they will. I am, therefore, fully perfuaded in my own mind that you will not be oppofed. If you are, you may depend upon every assistance in my power. I will speak to all my friends and acquaintance in the House, as if it was my own cafe; and I will mention your name to such of the leading members as I have familiarity enough with to speak to upon such a fubject; with whom I know it will have great weight. Unless an opposition were certain, I should think you did as well in not writing to the Persons you mention, and others whom I suppose you intend. I think to most of them my speaking in your name will have the same effect; and if you were to write at all, I should think it might be more proper to secure some of your friends in power. Ross has wrote to you with regard to our want of proof of the manner in which the money has been expended; to which your two members can say nothing, and which is necessary to be proved, whether the petition be opposed or not. I almost wish that some opposition may be set a-foot, that I may have once an opportunity of giving some small mark, with how much zeal and real gratitude I am, Lincoln's Inn, } 18th Feb. 1737-8. J My Dear Lord, Your most Affectionate and Obliged hu. Serv', NOTE-The approbation of the great and the virtuous, and of conscience, is the most grateful reward of merit; and perhaps few have enjoyed that satisfaction in so eminent a degree as President Forbes. Mr. Murray (Lord Mansfield) was now himself rising into distinction, and became so much the object of public admiration as to draw forth the Epistle of Mr. Pope, from which the following lines are here inserted, as they shew how early his abilities were conspicuous: Grac'd as thou art with all the power of words; So known, so honour'd, at the House of Lords; Conspicuous scene! another yet is nigh, (More silent far) where kings and poets lie; Where Murray (long enough his Country's pride) Shall be no more than Tully or than Hyde. Imitations of Horace-Epistle to Mr. Murray, Book 1. Epistle 6th. Lord Mansfield enjoyed, to an extreme old age, the applause of his country, and the full possession of the powers of his exalted mind; and lived to witness and publish his opinion of the French Revolution. No. CLXXXVI. No. CLXXXVI. The Duke of Argyll to the Lord President, Dated London, March y 25th, 1738.. My dear Duncan, I HAVE received your Letter, with your state of the Island of Tyrie; by which I find, a young Man, who could hope for thanks from those who were to succeed him, might make advantage of that place. You know I am not in that state; but, however, I am not the less oblig'd to you for your constant concern & anxious care for every thing that in any degree relates to my Interest or Welfare. One very poor return I can make you; which is, to let the World know, that I am a very Minister if I am not your most faithfull Servant. From this you may believe that I could have no greater pleasure than the hearing of your Recovery; &, next to that, I am glad to find Doctor Clark has subdued you: I say subdued you, because I can make no doubt but you strugl'd most imprudently hard to make your way to the North. I hope, & indeed think, the Parliament cannot sit long, tho' they have at present before them an affair of the greatest concern to this nation that I believe any Parliament in this Country ever had before them: for my part, I cannot conceive that we have more than one party to take; that is, if ye honour, dignity, & Interest of Britain, are to be considered; and I hope our Ministers will not lay those considerations out of the case, altho' the doing their Country Justice should in some degree interfeer with their private interest. The moment we are at liberty, I shall make the best of my way to Stony Hill, where I hope to find you in health to doe as you did, but in prudence obeying Doctor Clark's directions. I am, S', The Lord President to M' Scrope, dated Edinburgh, 30th March 1738. A PIECE of Intelligence I have just received puts me under the necessity of giving you the trouble of this Memorial; which, if needfull, you will be so good as to lay before S' Robert Walpole. In the 5th year of his late Majesty, an end was put to the claim for an excrescent equivalent, by granting to the Creditors of the Publick in Scotland an Annuity after the rate of 4 Cent. on their Capitall, redeemable by Parliament; and the Crown was authorized to incorporate those publick Creditors, which was accordingly done, and they were incorporated by Charter, by the name of The Equivalent Company. In the first year of His present Majesty, a Charter passed under the Great Seal directed by the Treaty of Union to be used for Scotland, erecting such of the Proprietors of the Stock of the Equivalent Company as should subscribe for that purpose, intó a Banking Company, under the name of the Royal Bank of Scotland; and the Company so erected have carried on with success the Business of Banking down to this time. One of the means this Banking Society used to recommend itself to the favour of the nation, in rivalship with the old Bank, was, to take first £20,000, and then £20,000. more of the monies intended for improvement of Fisheries & Manufac tures, and to hold that money at legal interest; which has enabled the trustees for those improvements to carry on their undertakings hitherto with success, and has been no considerable loss to the Bank, because it supplied them with so much cash to carry on their Business, without putting them to the necessity of making Calls on the Proprietors for that end. As the Banking powers of this Society cannot last after redemption of the Stock, the Proprietors whereof are incorporated; and as the trustees for the Manufactures found it very convenient for them to have the Publick money so lodged, that they could depend upon the punctual payment of the interest; a proposal was set on foot some years ago to apply to the Crown for a new Charter, granting to the Royal Bank a perpetuity of their Corporate Capacity, with powers of Banking even after redemption of the Annuity to which their Proprietors are entitled. In consideration whereof, they were to hold the £40,000. they had in their hands of the Monies intended for improvements at legal interest, so long as it should be found necessary to suffer that Money to lye at interest. And, accordingly, an humble Petition was presented to His Majesty by the Royal Bank, reciting of what service they had been, and might still be of, to the improvements in Scotland, and praying for a perpetuity as aforesaid. This Petition was referred to their Advocat & Solicitor Gen', who had several Meetings with the Directors of the Royal Bank; in which it was always agreed, that the said Bank should be obliged to hold the said £40,000. at legal interest; but there was some diversity of opinion as to the manner in which the settlement should be concluded, which hindered matters to be finally adjusted. But it was still understood, that the Directors of the Bank were to make no progress towards obtaining their Charter, without satisfying the trustees for the Manufactures that they were to be bound to hold the £40,000. as aforesaid. Nevertheless, I have just now been informed, that the Directors of the Royal Bank have lately, without the privity of the trustees, applyed to his Maj" by petition, praying a new Charter, which shall give their incorporation perpetual endurance; That this Petition was of course referred to his Maj" Advocat or Sollicitor; and that there is a Report made upon it, certifying that His Maj' may lawfully grant a charter as prayed by the Petition; but without taking any notice of the £40,000. to be held for the conveniency of the improvement of the Manufactures in Scotland. This unexpected step alarms me very much; and tho' I agree in opinion with my Lord Advocat, that His Maj' may lawfully grant the perpetuity sought; yet as it is of Grace only that he is to grant it, there is no doubt he may make it a condition of that Grant, that the Bank do hold the said Sum of £40,000. as they hitherto have agreed to do. And it seems to be the more necessary to bind them down to this, that if they obtain their perpetuity without it, we shall have two perpetual Banks in Scotland, whose Business it will be to lend Money, and who, if they can agree, may carry the Business of lending so far as to make it impossible for the trustees to find a sufficient security for the public money; at least, for answering punctually the interest of it; wh must prove a great discouragement to the scheme of improvements, how successfully soever it goes on at present. After what I have said, I should still hope that it is not the intention of the Managers for the Bank to do, what the manner of their application gives ground to suspect; but still it seems to me necessary, in a matter of this kind, to have some security from the Company, that they will do what's expected before the Charter pass. The Assembly of the trustees stands adjourned for some days; which is the reason why I, as one of them who have the improvement of this poor Country very much much at heart, give you the trouble of this, that you may make the proper use of it, to prevent a surprize, if any is intended. Dear S', I am, &c. Ed, Same Date. I blush to give you so much trouble; but there being none but yourself to whom I can resort in my own & my Country's distresses, I must even go on as usual. The inclosed Letter or Memoriall, tho' ill wrote, is intended to be ostensible, and, if necessary, to be made public use of. If you can take the Trouble to read it, you will understand what follows in this letter, wh is only for yourself; and which gives me the spleen to a very high degree, as foreseeing what mischief to the Publick, and to those whom I wish extremely well to in the management of it, such sort of Conduct, and the spirit from whence it flows, may produce. The Managers for the Bank in this project are, Lord Justice Clerk, Lord Monzie, and the Advocat, who are also trustees for the Manufactures. Some years ago they agreed, by a formal writing, to hold the £40,000.; but upon being told then, by a great Man who was their Governour, that they might have their Charter without this clog, they found out one difficulty after another to postpone the Settlement, whilst I was in the course of seeing you in London once a year. They made no attempt for seeing what fate it must probably have; but now, that my back is turned, you see they put forth the cloven foot, and in a clandestine way endeavour to steal a favour, w, sued for after telling the whole truth, could hardly be without some condition obtained. It grieves one to think, that the projectors of this surprize to overreach the Manufactures are themselves trustees for those Manufactures, and trustees who are fond of many projects, in wh I have the misfortune to differ with them. As this is a matter of consequence, wh must in course pass thro' your hands, I leave it to yourself to make what use you think fitt of what I suggest to you, because you can judge much better than I can, and have at all times employed that Judgment for the benefit of, &c. No. CLXXXVIII. From Lord Cornbury to the Lord President; dated London, April 18th, 1738. WITHOUT waiting, My Lord, to enquire when is the Post day, or by what hands I can transmitt this Letter to you, I feel an impatience to write down my acknowledgement for yours the moment after I have received it. I have always wished to love the Publick better than myself, as the more honest and reasonable affection; and, in my very little sphere of action, have always endeavoured to prefer the interests of the Publick to my own; and upon this principle, I congratulated myself that I could feel a Joy in your being intrusted with the property of Scotland, tho' the care of it called you from this part of the World, where the goodness you began to express for me would otherwise have flattered me with a prospect of much pleasure, and of many advantages, from your acquaintance, from your example, and perhaps you might sometimes have allowed from your advice too. With these thoughts of you, My Lord, very frequent and very sincere, it could not but be a great satisfaction to me to find that you retained any of me; especially that you did me the Justice to believe that I should have a pleasure in serving you wherever it was in my power; and I could heartily have wished, if it might have happened without farther trouble to you, that the proof I desir'd to give of my regard for you could have been in some point more material. You overrate this much. I am happy, however, that it has given me an opportunity of hearing of you, which I often endeavour to do, and of knowing that you continue your goodness for me, which I will endeavour to deserve better; and tho' it is very unlikely that it should ever be in my power to express my regard for you personally, otherwise than in words, yet I shall have the pleasure to think that your Character puts it in my power to serve you (unless I mistake the means) the same way in which I mean to serve myself; which is, with the sincerest good intentions, and with the best of my ability, in serving my Country. Whoever means that, will be, as I am with very great esteem, My Lord, Your Lordship's oblig'd & obedient CORNBURY.* My Dearest F. No. CLXXXIX. M' Murdoch to Mr John Forbes. I RECEIVED your's, and am quite charmed with the account you give of your affairs, and your agreeable way of living with your father. I had heard a little of what you tell me, and the same Character of the person. I knew the Brother last time I was abroad, and think him a young Gentleman of good sense and temper, and I believe the whole family have that Character. How happy shall I be, my dearest J. to see you safe in the port of life, after all the storms past, and all the dangers that young adventurers are exposed to. In the mean time, your Father's advice is certainly worthy of his own prudence; besides what particular reasons of Convenience he may have, it is best in these cases to do nothing rashly, that a man may know his own heart, and his Constancy. When people enter headlong into such Engagements, they as quickly repent of 'em; but when one acts upon motives of deliberate reason, as well as passion, the case is different; when not only affection, but a well-founded esteem, have subsisted already for a considerable time, enjoyment will not destroy but continue them; and the married state will be of all others the happiest, including all the joys of friendship as well as love, multiplying all the tender and social Affections, and easing all the pains of life, by sharing them with a faithful partner. As to my own affairs, which you so kindly enquire after, you know I am fixt here in a 100. living, with which, thank God! I am very well content, when I see the Misery that people born to no fortunes are reduced to, when they take it in their heads to throw themselves into the grand monde. The dutys of my Office are by no means disagreeable; and the solitude I live in, tho' sometimes a little irksome, has its conveniencies. If I had Books, I want not time; and I am pleased to find, that so long rambling has not abated my love of study. When I came hither, my house was in exceeding bad order. I have now fitted up a Parlour, Bed Chamber, and Closet, to my mind; and hope to be snug and decent enough next Winter. At the same time, this has emptied my pockets, and disabled me from making a small remittance which I intended for my Sister. This forces me to put you in mind, if you have not done it already, of that 5, I formerly wrote you of, that when you have a convenient occasion, you would transmit it to Frank This was the Nobleman alluded to by Mr. Pope in the following lines: Would you be blest, despise low joys, low gains, Disdain whatever Cornbury disdains; Be virtuous, and be happy for your pains. } Paton |