As to the Obstructions which your Lop may have heard I have mett with in my Manufacturing Capacity, they have ceased in a great degree for some Months past, and will, I dare say, give me very little trouble, so long as your Lop continues to take care of the affairs of this Countrey. If any thing perverse shou'd happen, I shall not faill to let your Lop know it, and to beg your Assistance. At present, I shall detain your Lop no longer than till I have said what is most certainly true, that I am, with perfect Your Lop's, &c. respect, Whitehall, 24th Aug 1742. I AM sorry that, by delaying of my Journey so long, the hopes I had of seeing you in Scotland are very uncertain; especially as I am informed that you are already gone North. I desired the Lord Advocate to talk with you of a plan for the better regulating the Courts of Justice in Scotland; and particularly, for making the Circuit Courts more useful to the Country; of which I should be glad to have your Opinion; for I have long thought a new Law for that purpose was necessary. I wrote some time ago to General Clayton to advise with your Lordship, Lord Arnistoun, and the Lord Advocate, in order to prepare a scheme for preserving the peace of the Highlands, and preventing depredations; and I hope you will give your assistance in framing a proper Bill, to be brought into Parliament for that purpose; since all attempts hitherto made have proved ineffectual. I expect you will, from time to time, inform me of whatever you think may be of advantage to the Manufactures of Scotland; and you shall always find me willing to second and promote your views for their Encouragement. If I can be of any use to your Lordship or any of your friends here, I am ready to receive and obey your Commands. I am, with very great esteem, My Lord, Your most Obedient humble Servant, TWEEDDALE. My Lord, No. CCXXXII. Mr Fane to the Lord President. The 14th Sept 1742. MY Uncle show'd me to-day your letter of the 11th of August; and, in Obedience to your Commands, you have the trouble of this, to bring an Acco of the welfare of that worthy Gent" my Brother, and all the rest of us. The great civility and good manners with wch the E. of Wn, M' Sys, and the rest of the Board, treat him, has raised his spirits, and make him go on with business cheerfully: and indeed, without an experienced Leader, what can unexperienced Commanders do? He is able and willing to instruct them, and they are willing and desirous to gratify him & his friends; wth I have lately experienced, by their appointing me to succeed Mr. Tilson. Poor Tilson was so struck at the summons he received from the Secret Committee, that he never recovered his spirits, and lingered out a miserable life as long as a strong heart and lungs would keep life in him. We have but bad News at present from Germany; where, I fear, the raising the Seige of Prague will make our wicked neighbours more troublesome than before; and, indeed, there is no wonder they succeed in their projects; for in those Courts where their flattery won't do, they prevail on them with money; so as by one way or another they drive the world before them. I fear, my Lord St will have no success. They are very Obstinate who are of the side of France, tho' on the other side our friends are very clamorous; and it's imagined, some time or other, the people may be enraged agst the French party; for wch they all seem to be ready, being in general for a War with France. I wish the K. of Sara may be kept steady: that was always a political Court; and French Offers may carry him off, and then good bye to the liberties of Europe. Your Lordship will say I am a thorough Englishman, as I can write of nothing but politicks; that, indeed, is too much the case of all of us at present; for the publick is now-a-days much more regarded than our Shops and Estates. I do assure you, that I have a very great Love for my Country; but when I descend to individuals, I can't help thinking of myself, and therefore hope I shall mind my Business, and be able to get bread for myself and family. Tomorrow I go into the West of England, to let my Wife show her husband amongst her acquaintance; and besides I must appear at Lyme the 4th of October, to be sworn Mayor of that antient Corporation. When I return, I shall be greatly honoured to receive your Commands, and shall ever be glad to approve myself, wth the most sincere Esteem and Regard, My Lord, Your Lordship's most faithful and most Obedient humble Servant, The K. will soon go for Flanders; from whence I hear, by the last return, we had 1390 men sick; and if they take the field, farewell to them all. No. CCXXXIII. My Lord, The Lord President to the Marquis of Tweeddale. Colloden, 18th Sept 1742. A SMALL excursion which I made last week in my Neighbourhood render'd it impossible for me to return ane answer sooner to the letter your Lop did me the honour to write to me, of the 24th of August. It is no small mortification to me, that the necessity I am under of attending some affairs that concern me in this country should deprive me of the pleasure of seeing your Lop in Scotland, & contributing so far as I am able (by opening fully my sentiments) to your generous design of employing your power to the good of your Country; but what I cannot have the happiness of doing by word of mouth, I shall cheerfully make up, so far as it is, double, conferring freely with my Lord Advocate, or any other person your Lop thinks fit to advise with; &, after such consultation, giveing your Lop in writeing my sentiments, if you require it. Your Lop observes very justly, that our Courts, & particularly that of justiciary, stand in need of some regulations; but the work is of great delicacy, & requires much consideration; & in some cases, as in that which your Lop mentions of the justiciary, must be attended with some expences. As the Law stands, a Robber, or any other fellon, committed in this or any other remote part of the Country, has a right to bring on his triall in 60 Days, or to be dismist, B B mist, except his Committment should happen to be, just before the annuall circuite. If he run his letters, he must be dismist, or carry'd to Ed' to be try'd in the Court of Justiciary, where he is probable to be acquited for lack of evidence, unless the prosecutor will put himself to ane expence for which there is no sufficient provision made by the Publick; nor can this be remedied, by restoreing the Oct' circuit, wtout doing somewhat more than doubling the expence that the present course of the assises costs. It is manifest, that the sum allow'd to defray the expence of the itinerant judges is too small; which, possibly, may be the cause why their stay is so short in the places where they hold their Aires, & consequently why they are not more usefull to the country. I fling out this Observation at present, that your Lop may have it in your view, that towards giveing the Law its just course, the Government must be at a larger expence than is now bestow'd; and, as the Revenues in this Country, managed as they have been, are not well able to afford a greater expence, whoever will give himself the trouble to devise means for secureing the peace or improveing the policy of this poor Country must begin with correcting those abuses that have long prevail'd in respect to the Revenues, & thereby furnish the Government with means to execute such regulations as may be projected; and as your Lop will soon be in Scotland, I take it for granted, you will think it proper to consult with such as understand this subject best, on the fitest method of promotting & secureing the Revenue: a matter that has [been] hitherto scandallously, if not criminaly, neglected. About Weeks agoe, 3 when Gen" Clayton was with me here, he acquainted me with your Lop's commands, & I oppen'd to him my thoughts of what was fit to be done for the preservation of the peace of the Highlands, & the prevention of Depredations; & here again, as he will inform your Lop, a further expence again is necessary; but as what I oppend to the Gen" may require further deliberation, I shall be glad to reconsider it with L Arniston & Lord Advocate when I get to Ed', if I shall be so unhappy as not to see your Lop there. The concern your Lop shows for our Manufactures would enflame my Zeal for them, if it wanted any fire. I most certainly shall profite of your invitation, & let your Lop, know from time to time what we want & what we wish. Tho' I very much fear that the shortness of your Lop's stay att Ed', & the necessary length of mine here, will be ane insuperable barr in the way of my desire of waiting on you, yet I wish to know, if it may not be improper for your Lordship to discover it, what is the longest term that you allow for your remaining in Scotland; to the end, that if it be at all possible for me, I may stretch a point, to have the satisfaction I aim att: but whether I shall or shall not be lucky in that particular, I shall still have the honour to be with perfect respect, &c. My Lord, No. CCXXXIV. The Marquis of Tweeddale to the Lord President. Yester, 6th October 1742. I HAVE been favoured with your Lordship's of the 18 Sept'; and I regret much I had not the pleasure of seeing you; since I am sensible many matters of consequence to the interest of this Country could have been opened to better purpose by word of mouth, than possibly can be done by writing. From the little observation I have made, I have been long of Opinion, that our Courts of Judicature, not only the Court of Justiciary, but even the Court of Session, stood in need of some Regulations. I own, it is a work of great delicacy, and will require require much consideration; but not of so great difficulty as not to be got the better of, if your Lordship, who understands this subject perfectly, will, in earnest, employ your thoughts that way. I have discoursed a little with Lord Arnistoune on the head, but without coming particularly to any point; since I told him freely, as I now do your Lordship, that I neither incline to meddle in it myself; nor, if I should, have I indeed any hopes of success, unless you two were perfectly agreed in your sentiments about any scheme that could be proposed. In that case, I am apt to flatter myself, that my endeavours to carry it through above would not be fruitless: at least, it should either pass in the way proposed, or not at all; and in that view, if no good, no harm, could be done. It will be unlucky if nothing can be attempted at this time, from the difference of opinions that may be amongst you here; since if this opportunity be now lost, it is not easy to say when we may have another. I agree with your Lordship, that it is absolutely necessary, that the Revenues of this Country should be well managed, and narrowly lookt into; without which it is in vain to devise means for securing the peace, or improving the policy, of this corner of the Island. I shall not be wanting in my endeavours; and shall be much obliged to you, if I am favoured with your sentiments of what may be the fittest method for promoting and securing the Revenue, as well as for correcting any abuses that may have crept into the management. I have desired my Lord Advocate to talk with your Lordship, and General Clayton, of what may be fit to be done for the preservation of the peace of the Highlands. The Encouraging our Manufactures here, in which your Lordship so generously employs so much of your time, is of so great advantage to this Country, that I hope you shall never have any reason to doubt of my firm resolution to second your views; and, that I may be better instructed than I am at present, I must desire, that you will give orders to the Secretary of the trustees, to transmit to me the several reports that have been laid before his Majesty, since he was first graciously pleased to grant a patent; that I may have a general view of the whole from the beginning. I must not disguise, that I have often heard it complained, that several persons have obtained little offices there, rather with other views than to encourage the Manufactures. I know well, that it is not possible to remedy this altogether in this Island; but for myself, tho' I should now and then recommend some persons to you to be employed (and this shall be in as few instances as possible), I shall never desire my recommendations to be complied with, if you think the persons not proper or fit to be trusted in the discharge of that duty. As there are several Vacancies of Trustees, I would submit to you, whether it would not be proper that these should be filled up, both with Gentlemen and Merchants of the best repute in the different Shires and principal Burroughs of this Country, who might correspond with your Secretary at Edinburgh. By this means, you would have a more general View of the State of the Manufactures over the whole Nation; as also these Gentlemen, by their Credit in their respective Countries, might have great influence with their neighbours, the justices of the peace and Magistrates, in discouraging many male-practices equally detrimental to the Revenue as to the Manufactures. I don't know in what manner the patent for the Trustees is framed, having never seen it; but I would suggest to you, whether it might not be proper, after the number of the Trustees is once completed, that they should have a power in themselves to fill up vacancies when they should happen, that a constant succession of them may be preserved. I shall trouble your Lordship no further. I have taken up too much of your time already, in throwing out such raw and indigested hints as have occurred to me. I can answer for my own intentions; how far I shall be rightly advised or properly supported, BB 2 time time will discover; but I shall not be easily discouraged. I shall leave this place for London the beginning of next Week: if your Lordship has any Commands for me there, you will always find me ready to receive, and willing to obey them; being with the greatest truth and Esteem, My Lord, & most humble Servant, No. CCXXXV. TWEEDDALE. The Lord President [probably to the Marquis of Tweeddale, about 1742.] On the State of the Revenue of Scotland; with proposals for improving it, &c. My Lord, I VERY gladly lay hold of the short recess from the Business of the Session, we now enjoy, to discharge in some sort my promise of exposeing to your Lop's view the state of this Country, as it relates to the Manufactures, which for some years past I have taken a pretty deall of pains about; and as it relates to the Revenues, without which neither can the civill Government be carried on, nor the Manufactures in any degree be encouraged, or indeed supported. The Trustees for the Manufactures are now bussy in drawing up their Annuall Report to His Majestie, and framing a Plan by which the Monies allotted for Improvements are to be issued for the 3 years next ensuing, if His Majesty shall be graciously pleased to approve of the same. And as this Report will in a little time be transmitted to your Lordp, I need not lengthen a Letter which, without such addition, will, I am afraid, be too long, by entering into the particulars that are to be reported; but it is necessary for my purpose in generall to mention to your Lop what I am confident you will be glad to hear, That our Linen Manufacture is in a very thriveing way; that we have hopes of succeeding in our endeavours of propagating the Manufacture of coarse Linen, the fine being already very well understood; that we have expectations of discovering a method of Bleatching or Whitening such coarse Cloath under one penny per yard; that a commendable spirit of launching out into new branches of the Linen Manufacture, such as thread Stockings, Tapes, incle, coloured thread, figured work for Table Linen, &c. is raised, and would most certainly be encouraged if our funds had answered our expectation ;-That our spinning, which is indeed the Basis of the Manufactures, is so far advanced beyond that of our neighbours, whatever they may think fitt to give out to the contrary, that very large quantitys of our yarn are bought up, and transported by the Irish; which, tho it lessens the quantity of our Cloath, yet proves ane encouragement to the Spinning, and may therefor be fitly winked at for some time; tho' at last it ought to be prevented, because, tho' we with pleasure see great quantitys of Linen Yarn carried to Manchester and oy' parts of England to be wrought up into different sorts of Goods, and hope that this trade, which is of advantage to the whole Island, shall continue; yet we flatter ourselves to have in due time the favour of the Legislature on our side, to hinder our Rivalls in trade from raising the Mercat of our Yarn so high as to spoil our trade, and perhaps prevent our supplying the other part of this Island of what we now afford for its service. As what I have said gives a very promiseing view of this Manufacture, I must not conceal that it is the only thing that promises any good to this poor Country. The fishery has totally failled for some years; the foreign trade of Glasgow, which is 13 chiefly |