My Lord, No. CCXXIV. to the Lord President. IIth March 1742. NO doubt, your Lordship will hear by this post of the Duke of Argyll's having laid down all his places. What I am going to say on that subject consists with my own proper knowledge. When he accepted of his Employments, it was by the Advice and at the request of his friends in town, who thought his sitting at the Council Board of the greatest consequence to this Nation; but as no steps have been taken, either to his Satisfaction or to his friends, since his acceptance; on the contrary, things growing every day worse and worse; his Grace Yesterday (you may be sure, not without acquainting his friends) resigned his Employments to his Majesty, with all the respect and civility due to the King, and with all the calmness and sedetness becoming a Great Man; and I do assure you, every honest man approves of what he has done. The D. of Montague has got the Ordnance again. My Lord, No. CCXXV. The Lord President to the Marquis of Tweeddale. 1* April 1742. UPON receiving your Lop's Command of the 16th of March, I wrote to my Bro Arnistoun to have his Resolution; and had for answere, that the state of his health (which had been impared by an accidentall Cold) was such, that he cou'd not think of a journey; and he was indeed at that time much out of order; but as this illness was likely to be but of a short duration, I suffered ten days to pass, that he might recover health and better spirits, and then went out to Arnistoun to see him; where I found him pretty well restored from his last Complaint, but still in such a backward way (occasioned, I presume, by the uncommon Coldness of the Season), that he declared his resolution agt travelling Southwards this Spring: and, as ane additional reason for that resolution, he suggested the high improbability that our going to London can be of any service to the publick, when there is not time left in this Session to pass into a Law any propositions that we might offer for the public service of this part of the Island; even if the other more interesting Considerations, in wch the parliam' is at present engaged, were to give way, & leave roome for offering such propositions. This Determination of my Bro' Arnistoun's has gone far to determine my resolution on the side of my private opinion, but agt what I shou'd have done had he consented to the Journey; it was my private Sentiments, that our presence at London, at a juncture such as the present, could not be of any reall service to the Countrey; but such is my deference to your Lop's judgment, & to that of those eminent Persons with whom you advised, that I had resolved to submit to it, if you persisted in your purpose of seeing us; and I guesed that what induced your Lop and them to pitch upon my Bro' & me, as the fittest persons to Advise with in regard to the Interests of this Countrey, was, the notoriety that in our politicall capacity, if I may so speak, whilst we attended Parliam' we were generally adversary to one another; the Notoriety, that in our present stations we have dismissed all views of that kind; and the probability thence ariseing, that such sentiments as we agreed in wou'd be well received, & not lyable to much exception on account of any suspected partiality. But as Arnistoun is unable to undertake the journey, the view from which, as I under AA 2 stand stand it, the calling for us flowed is at ane end; and my travelling cou'd have no other fruit than the seeing some friends whom I shall be allways desireous to see, and the seeing several things that I shall be allways sorry to see or hear of; and, therefor, I hope the only part which, according to my present views, I can choose, that of staying at home, will meet with your Lop's approbation. If there is any thing relateing to the Situation of this Countrey, with regaird to its Manufactorys, its Police, its Revenue, or other interest, that I can give your Lop any light of, I shall be extreamly glad to give your Lop all the satisfaction that is in my power, when you are pleased to command me. This, if wanted, may be done in course of the post; and before ane of Session of Parlia', it is to be hoped your Lop will find my Bro & me together, and may then at leasure command all the light we can afford. I am, with perfect respect, My Lord, your Lop's, &c. Stony hill, April 1742. D' Sir, No. CCXXVI. The Lord President to M' And. Mitchell. I SHOU'D have returned ane ans' to yours of the 18th March sooner, but that I waited to be determined as to the journey which you expected I shou'd take; but the resolutions of my Bro' Arnistoun, which being fixed ag travelling, have left me no party to Choose but that of staying at Home; as I had no great Confidence, that our joynt labours cou'd have done much service to the publick at this time; and far less that my presence, without Him, could have done any. The Situation in qch you'at present are, which is owing to your own Character, as well as the good judgement & good will of my Lord Marquiss, gives me a great deal of Satisfaction. I am pleased on your account, because it will give you ane Opportunity to exert your talents & to do good; and I am pleased on the Marquiss's, because that act qch was amongst the first of his Administration has been attended with universall approbation; and is ane earnest, that he will act with disinterested views, and make use of disinterested persons, to carry on the Publick Service *. As to advice, which you seem to wish from me, it is quite useless, because you have a very faithfull, & much more intimate Minister at home, your heart; which must, by the goodness of the Master you serve, be disposed to render him every honest peice of service he can claim; and I am very hopefull, from the Opinion I have of Him, that the Marquis will expect none other from you. The late accident qch you mention is unlucky; and I lament it, cheiffly as it must necessarly be attended with some sowerness between persons whom I most earnestly wished to see liveing & acting in perfect harmony. But these differences cannot possibly affect you with the person whom you are pleased to call my friend; who must expect to see you discharge the trust you have undertaken with care and fidelity, if he has the same opinion of you that I have. Toutching the expectations you entertained, of my being usefull to quiet riseing animosities, & perhaps to prevaill with some persons to lay them aside, I cannot tell very well how far I might, or might not, have been of use, had I been early with you; but as things are att present, I am affraid the coall is too hot to be toutched; and I have frequently seen, that medleing with it in that Condition makes it blaze the more. The end of the Session The Marquis had made Mr. Mitchell his Under Secretary. will give Men time to cooll; and if nothing is done further, to irritate or provoke, of either Side, which I pray & hope may be the case, nothing shall be wanting on my side, to dispose such as will in any degree be influenced by my Opinion to that Union which I wish may prevaill. I have wrote to the Marquis by this Post, signifying my present purpose of remaining in this Countrey. I hope He will approve of my reasons; and if he should be too much hurryed to find time to lett me know so much, that you will. I am, My Dear A. Stony hill, 1 April 1742. &c. No. CCXXVII. My Lord, Mr Mitchell to the Lord President. Whitehall, 20 April 1742. YOUR Lordship's letter of the 1st instant gave me real joy; as you said in it several kind things of me & to me. I do assure you, that nothing pleases me so much as the approbation of those I love and esteem; and to deserve your Lordship's, is my particular ambition. I have ever thought my acquaintance with your Lordship one of the happiest incidents of my life, and I think I have felt myself the better Man for it. When I reflect on the justice that mankind in general do to your Character, Í cannot help thinking better of them than I am sometimes inclined to do; I cannot help believing they have still some gratitude left, & some sense of Virtue. Tho' I acknowledge the reasons you give for not coming to London are of weight, still they are not convincing; for I am sure you will never allow that to be a just maxim, that when people cannot do all the good they wish to do, they ought to do nothing. The whole tenour of your life, & your unwearied endeavours in your own province, plainly show that you adopt no such principle. I own, I am greatly affected by the dissapointment; and it is my private Opinion, that you could still be of great service to the Publick if you was here. I am sure the Marquis was very desireous you shou'd; and the Opinion & Confidence he has of you must have rendered your Advice useful & important in that quarter. I beg leave once more to renew my former request of the Continuance of your friendship; and, as I have a most thorough confidence in you every way, of the favour of your advice upon particular occasions that may arise; and I do assure you, it will be a great comfort to me; for tho' I am vain enough not to suspect my heart, yet I am extremely difident of myself. I know your goodness will excuse my saying so much about myself. You have had an account, no doubt, of Paxton's confinement to Newgate, & the reason of it: it is surprising that the obstinacy & villany of one man shou'd be able to baffle the publick justice, & yet the constitution afford no legal remedy. This Letter goes by a Courier, under Cover to M' Maclaurin, as I was informed your Lordship had gone North, May you long enjoy every thing that can make you happy & easy! which is the most sincere wish of Your most Obliged most humble Serv AND MITCHELL. No. CCXXVIII. No. CCXXVIII. The Lord President to his Son John Forbes, of the Blues. My Dear John, Edinburgh, 3d June 1742. AS desire in of the 20th of May, I have given you Credite on M' George you yours Midleton for £100.; which I understand you are to call for only from time to time, as you have use for it; partly towards your Expedition; & partly, if necessary, for your support in Flanders. I give this Credite without hesitation at this time, because your marching is necessary; and your past Oeconomy may make it necessary for you; but I cannot, without injustice to you and to myself, omit to tell you, that I am not satisfied with the Expence which you have lately drawn yourself and me into. I ordered your bills for £60. and £100. to be payed, without putting the Question to yourself, how you came to outrun your pay so far, because I did not choose to shock you, after your purposes and declarations to me when we were last together; but I took care to inform myself as well as I could at a distance, from some of my acquaintances, concerning the cause of that expence; and I confess I have not received Satisfaction. I do not incline to put you out of countenance by asking any questions on that subject, which is now over, at present; but I must let you know, that, unless you regulate your expence better for the future, I shall be obliged, for your sake as well as my own, to draw in my hand, and to recall you from the trade you have chose; to the doing of which, I am confident, I shall have the approbation of that great Man who first engaged you in it [The Duke of Argyll], and who must know my reasons for the resolution I speak of, should your conduct make it necessary, My indulgence to you hitherto, Dear John, passes over all past failings; but I expect much greater circumspection for the future; and that I never shall hear of any further demand, but what shall have your Cousin Hugh's Approbation; who is an Advocate now for you, but not by Arguments that give me satisfaction. Tho' I am thorowly displeased with, and will no longer endure, your behaviour in point of expence, yet I hope I shall have no reason to be dissatisfied with your Conduct as a Man in point of Courage, Temper, or Care, in the trade to which you have taken. I am Your Loving Father, DUN: FORBES. No. CCXXIX. My Lord, The Marquis of Tweeddale to the Lord President. Whitehall, 3 June 1742. I HAD the favour of your Lordship's Letter without date, which I should have answered sooner, but delayed till your return from the North. I am The Prospect arising from the Abstract of the Manufactures, and what your Lordship has said upon it, is extreamly satisfactory; and I agree with you, that this infant Manufactory is a promising Child, and well worth nursing and bringing up. very sensible, that the fair appearance that now is of success in the Linnen Manufactory in Scotland is chiefly owing to your unwearied and disinterested Care and Concern about it; and, as I am convinced nobody can give better hints than your Lordship, I hope you will turn your thoughts toward whatever you may judge necessary for the further promoting so beneficial a Scheme, and removing any Obstructions that you may have hitherto met with; which you will, at your leisure, be pleased to communicate to me, since I have not the least doubt of obtaining a ready Concurrence in * II every every reasonable measure that shall be proposed, for bringing this Manufactory to further perfection. I hope the Warrants upon the Report from the Trustees, sent up by your Lordship to George Ross, have met with the usual Dispatch in the Treasury. I am, with great esteem and regard, My Lord, Your Lordship's most obedient and most humble Servant, No. CCXXX. TWEEDDALE. The Lord President to the Marquis of Tweeddale [in answer]. June 1742. My Lord, THE satisfaction your Lop expresses, on the progress of owr Linnen Manufac tures, and the Resolution you are pleased to declare, of giveing it your Assistance & protection, in the Letter wh you honoured me with of the 3a instant, give me a very sensible pleasure; not only as I am encouraged to hope for success to ane undertakeing which I am so fond of; but as your Lop's entering so warmly into the forwarding a design, which has no other aim but the good of this poor country, is to me ane earnest of what I always wished, and indeed I hoped, to see, when your Lop shou'd come to be employed, a Minister who will direct his care to its most proper object, the reall interest & the prosperity of his Country. Your Lop, I am confident, will not doubt that I shall be ready on every occasion. to contribute all the lights I can afford towards discovering what may be fitt to be done towards preserving & forwarding what has been so happily begun; but as the dangers to be avoided, and the encouragement to be expected, are such that litle or nothing can be done in relation to them without the interposition of parliament, and there seems to be no time left for such Considerations in this Session, your Lop will readily excuse me, that just at this time, when you are so much engaged in business of another nature, and when I am so thorowly oppressed with the unprofitable (I fear) drudgery of my Office, I do not enter into the particulars, which will be better explained to your Lop when my thoughts are more at liberty, after the conclusion of this Session, and when your Lop will likeways be at leisure. What I then shall offer principally to your Lop will be (a melancholy consideration!) the desperate condition of the Revenues of this Country; which are now in such a declineing state, that the usuall expence of the civill Government can hardly be answered; and as the chieff Support for executeing our Scheme of improvement must arise from surpluses on the Excheq', shou'd the Revenues continue to produce as litle as they have done lately, there must be ane end to our hopes as Manufacturers. The Civill Government cannot without great difficulty be carried on; and, what very few people attend to, the Landed Interest, as well as the trade, of this part of the Island must be undone. What I shall do is, to hint to your Lop the source from whence this mischieff springs, and to suggest such remedies, as, if they shall be approved of, may, by the Aid of ane Act of Parliament, releive us from Ruin. Some further encouragements than we at present enjoy are also to be wished for, and to be hoped for from Parliament, if we can qualify our demand so as to secure the Public from frauds, and to satisfye the Legislature that the Revenues shall lose no more than the Parliament, with their Eyes open, give for promoting the Manufacture; and on this subject your Lop shall hear from me when I can command a little time. As |