bourne prifoner.

SCOTLAND.

EDINBURGH, Jan. 8.

Subfcriptions are opened at Edinburgh, and Glasgow, for relieving the diftreffes of numbers of people now out of employment.

The merchants of Glafgow finding the utility which in point of navigation, has arifen by the operations made by Mr Golborne, Engineer of the river Clyde, in confequence of his firft contract; and that although his operations are not fully executed, have requested the magiftrates to enter into a fecond contract with Mr Golborne, for a further improvement on the navigation and the Magiftrates have done fo accordingly.

A letter from Lerwick in Shetland, informs us, that a Snow from Bergen in Norway, called Bona Fortuna, commanded by Jonas Olfen Tofks, bound for Santa Cruz in the Weft Indies, was put into that port the 28th of November laft in great distress.

We hear from Stonehaven, that on Thursday laft, at the market there, Alexander Middleton, fon to John Middleton, tenant in Drumfallach in Leys, was detected uttering a forged note, of the bank of Douglafs, Heron and Co. It was difcovered by the perfon to whom it was offered, and Middleton was examined before the Sheriff, to whom he faid that he got it from one Gray in Forfar, or fome perfon of the name of Mackay in Aberdeen, and that he had no more of them in his cuftody. However, on his being fearched, another forged note of the fame kind was found in his pocket book, rolled up in the shape of a button and a genuine Douglas and Heron note. On a leaf of the fame pocket book, and on a loofe paper in it, fome words were written, apparently in imitation of the character the Ayr notes are printed in.

Premium on London bills at fight, and fhort dates, from three eigths to one half per cent, and from 30 to 50 days par.

Exchange betwixt Dublin and London ten.

We hear from Banff, that a few days ago a fire broke out in a manufactory there, which burnt with great violence for upwards of two hours, and confumed the houfe. There were about forty matts of flax, and a confiderable value in heckles and untenfils burnt.

On Wednesday fe'ennight, some offi cers of excife fell in with a gang of fmugglers near Neilfton: in the fcuffle, a gauger fired at one of their horfes, and the fhot unfortunately hit one of the party, who, we hear is fince dead of his wounds, at the fame time they made a feizure of about 90 pounds of fmuggled teas.

On Monday laft, about feven o'clock at night, fome villains found means to get into the fervants hall at Rosebank, near Glasgow, and carried off a small cheft, the property of the gardener, which they broke up in the fields, and took from thence linen and other valuable things, befides 14 1. fterling, moftly in Ayr notes.

On Wednesday arrived here, Mr and Mrs Yates. They are to have feven hundred guineas for performing at the Theatre here, till the end of April.

The trial of Alexander Murdifon and James Miller his herd, for fheepftealing, continued from Friday the 8th inft. at eight o'clock in the morning, till five o'clock on Sunday morning. The examination of the witneffes lasted till five o'clock on Saturday evening, when the Lord advocate fummed up the evidence for the crown, as did Mr Crofbie and Mr Rae, very ably for the prifoners. The jury inclofed at eleven, and did not difmifs till five o'clock next

morning,

morning, and on Monday at noon they returned the following verdict:

They by a great plurality of voices, find the following articles of the indictment proven against the faid pannel, Alexander Murdifon, viz. In fo far as regards eight ewes of eleven ewes, and the tup-hog, the property of William Gibfon tenant in Newby in the county of Peebles, and one ewe, the property of James Hiflop, herd to the faid William Gibson, which were found on the farm of Ormifton alias Wormifton; alfo, in regard to twenty ewes, part of twenty-one ewes, the property of Thomas Gibfon tenant in Griefton in the county forefaid, found on the pannel's farm aforefaid; and all in one voice, find the following articles of the indictment proven against the faid Alexander Murdifon, viz. in fo far as regards the fifteen hogs, the property of Robert Horseburgh tenant in Colquhair in the county forefaid, and thirteen hogs the property of the above-mentioned William Gibfon, fold by the faid Alexander Murdifon to John Berham tenant in Wefthope in the county of Haddington, and found in the faid farm of Wefthope; as alfo in fo far as regards the fixteen ewes and four hogs, the property of Walter Simpfon tenant in Eafter Dawick in the county of Peebles, and found on the farm of the faid pannel; and all in one voice, find the indictment proven against John Miller the other pannel in fo far as regards the ten ewes and lambs, the property of George Cranfton Efq; of Dewar, and eleven ewes and lambs, the property of David Tweedie tenant in Ladyfide in the county of Edinburgh." Mr Crofbie obferved there was an informality in the verdict, as there were two crimes charged, viz. either stealing the sheep, or receiving them, knowing them to be ftolen; and the jury had not specified which of thefe crimes the prifoners were guilty of, each article of the libel being an alternative propofition; he therefore moved the Court to delay pronouncing fentence till fome future day, and to hear counfel on the...

verdict. This the court agreed to, and adjourned till Friday the 15th inft. at one o'clock, when they are to meet for that purpose. During the trial the Lord Juftice Clerk and Mr Rae obferved, that trial by jury was the particular happiness of our conftitution; and though it might in fome cafes (as in the prefent very long trial) be attended with inconvenience to individuals; yet they hoped, that no gentlman would think it a hardship, as it was the great barrier of our liberties, and the wifh of every honeft man, that it might be coeval with the latest æra of the British conftitution.-The counsel for the prifoners were the Dean of Faculty, Mr M'Queen, Mr Rae, Mr Wight, Mr M'Laurin, Mr Crosbie, Mr Blair, and Mr Stevenfon.

On Monday the 11th inft. James Baillie was brought to the bar of the Court of Jufticiary. He was condemned to be hanged for murder in December 1771, but had received his Majefty's pardon, on condition of transporting himfelf within a certain time. As he had not complied with the condition of his pardon, the Lord Advocate prayed the Court to order the former fentence to be executed upon him. Mr Crosbie faid, the reafon of his not tranfporting himself was owing to sicknefs and other unavoidable causes, and infifted, that all trials before the Court of Jufticiary were by Jury, that the Court could not proceed against Baillie; but that the reasons of his not complying with the conditions of his pardon, must come under the cognizance of a Jury. The Lord advocate on the other hand maintained, that this was no new trial, but only putting the former fentence in execution, and therefore the court had a right to proceed in it. As this was entirely a new cafe, the Court delayed giving their opinions in it till the 8th of February, that they might have time to enquire into the practice of the Courts in England in fimilar cafes.

On the 6th inft. Was married at
Mochrum,

Letter to the Printer of the Edinburgh

SIR,

Advertifer.

S the emigration of the High

chief fubject with fome of your correfpondents, and as none of them has afligned any fatisfactory reafons as the cause thereof, the following particulars, with remarks, may not be difagreeable to the public, for the truth whereof, I appeal to every proprietor, wadietter, principal tackiman, tenant, and fubtenant, natives of the Highlands.

Το go no farther back than a century, thefe inhabitants having then litthe intercourfe with thofe of the LowCountry, and being without commerce of every kind, continued in tribes diftinguished by the names of their refpective clans, poffeffing certain diftricts of land, either by heirship, or obtained by force of arms. Being, like all dther collective bodies throughout the world, without bowels, and without bounds to their ambition, they endeavoured to extend their property, and increase their ftrength by feizing, if poffible, the eftates of their neighbours, and making the occupiers of the conquered lands change their clan, and even their name; or, if this did not fucceed, their next attempt was that of bringing off their cattle, which in thofe days was deemed fair, and meritorious when attended with fuccefs. VOL. III.

the fame in fmall lots for a certain profit to a number of others, over whom they prefided as petty chieftains, became very ufeful in their future hoftile invafions; others who had not money to procure a wadfet, but being related by blood to their chief, and of a warlike difpofition, got tacks or leafes of large tracts, which they alfo parcelled out for an advanced rent, and became ufeful in like manner; fuch got the name of principal tackfmen, who with the wadfetters, conftantly attended the chief, took a title from the name of their poffeffions, were his counfellors and officers in all excurfions, but in or ther refpects were idlers, above induftry, and difplaying their pride on every occafion, in proportion to the number of their own followers and the confequence of their clan. The rents they paid were generally in cattle. A cow was then worth from five to ten fillings fterling.

When the union of the two kingdoms took place, and markets opened for cattle at advance prices paid in fpecie, the chieftains, &c. were induced to move South occafionally, where they naturally imbibed part of the luxof the times; the wadfetters and N principal

ury

principal tackfmen (being ever ready to demand of their under tenants, who got no tacks, to the utmost farthing, or even more than they could afford to give,) procured now fuch advantages, that, in fact, the wadfetters, who paid no advance for the lands they occupied in pledge for their money, and the principal tackfmen but little, became in general richer than their masters, who were commonly involved in debt by fupporting the dignity of their clan. -Ever fince roads were made and property protected by the laws, clanfhip has been daily declining in the Highlands; many of their younger fons and the fons of thefe wealthy wadfetters and tacksmen, having either got com. miffions in the army, or obtained fortunes abroad, on returning home have infufed fuch a spirit of liberty among them, that now in place of fighting or fhifting for their chief, it is their chief maxim to fhift each for himself like the people of other civilized countries. The bulk of the lands being either under wadfet or long tacks, the great chieftains were obliged to accept of commiffions and places from the public, or to deal in cattle to enable them to live decently. By their fuccefs of late years, the wadfet lands have been redeemed, and most of the tacks are either expired or nearly fo. The wadfetters and tacksmen as mentioned before, having fhaken off their dependance, and now their mafters neither having occafion for, nor receiving any farther warlike fervice from them, by purfuing the fame felfish but commendable principle of their tenants, have endeavoured to let their farms to the highest bidders, fecluding fubtenants and affignees. In confequence of this, many of the former fub and fub-fubte nants who had faved a little money, became principal tenants independent of tackimen; and notwithstanding the landlord receives of them triple of the old rent, yet, in fact, they pay no more for the fame lands than they paid before to the wadfetter or tackfman, on

ly the landlord comes in his place. Such of these wadsetters and tacksmen as either wish to be diftinguished as leaders, than by induftry, have not taken leafes again, alledging that the rents are rifen above what the land will bear; but, fay they, in order to be revenged of our mafter for doing so, and what is worfe, depriving us of our fubordinate chieftainship, by abolishing our former privileges of fubfetting, we will not only leave his lands, but by spiriting the lower clafs of people to emigrate, we shall carry a clan to America, and when they are there, they muft work for us, or starve. The induftrious fet who act on different principles by preferring their native country, find it their intereft to encourage the emigration for two reafons; the one is, that by a scarcity of tenants, they may chance to get farms cheaper;-the other, that by getting rid of the idle part of the loweft clafs, fuch will no longer operate among them like drones, who have been, (especially after a bad harveft) a dead weight on the tenant, who has been obliged to purchase meal for the maintenance of many fuch incumbents on his tenement, almost to his total ruin. Some of the proprietors fenfible of the latter, will readily confent to the emigration taking place, and even with it, from a belief, that in their room ftrangers from the South will fucceed much to the improvement of their eftates, and the country in general.

These three fets of perfons concurring, though from different motives, towards promoting an emigration, it is not to be wondered, that the poor natives liften to artful infinuations made ufe of by the first to encourage them to become their followers to the promifed land, while the fecond countenancé it, and the mafters don't discourage them, at leaft take no pains to diffuade them from it.

Thefe deluded, brave and faithful people, fond of money, ready to work to obtain it, if put in the method, and examples