LIBRARY 
 
 UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, 
 
 Class 
 
 1861-62 
 
 Master CHARLES LAWSON of Borthwick Hall 
 Old Master-GEORGE LORIMER 
 Assistants 
 
 JOHN MOINET 
 JAMES RITCHIE 
 JOHN MILLER 
 JOHN MACKAY 
 JAMES ROBERTSON 
 
 THOMAS G. STEVENSON 
 ROBERT CHISHOLM 
 FRANCIS RICHARDSON 
 WILLIAM CATTANACH 
 JAMES S. DUNCAN 
 ROBERT BRYSON 
 
 Treasurer JOHN MENZIES Clerk THOMAS STRONG, W.S. 
 
 Ecclesiastical Commisisoner CHARLES LAWSON of Borthwick Hall 
 
 Paving Board Coiijiin WILLIAM BEATTIE 
 
 Accountant JAMES M. MACANDREW, C A. 
 
 Medical Referee JAMES D. GlLLESPIE, M.D. 
 
 Parliamentary Solicitors in London MAITLAND & GRAHAM 
 
 Officer ARCHIBALD PATERSON 
 
1 
 
The Merchant Company 
 of Edinburgh 
 
 From 
 
 CHARLES LAWSON 
 MASTER 
 
The Geographical Distribution of 
 Material Wealth 
 
 BY 
 
 ALEXANDER KEITH JOHNSTON, F.R.S.E. 
 \\ 
 
 GEOGRAPHER TO THE QUEEN FOR SCOTLAND 
 
 II. 
 
 HISTORICAL NOTES REGARDING THE 
 
 MERCHANT COMPANY OF EDINBURGH 
 
 AND THE WIDOWS' SCHEME AND HOSPITALS 
 
 V (, F THE 
 
 UNIVERSITY 
 
 EDINBURGH 
 
 PRIVA TE PRESS OF PETER LA WSON & SON 
 
 M.DCCC.LXII. 
 
Tf 
 
 uRAL 
 
TO THE MEMBERS OF 
 
 THE MERCHANT COMPANY. 
 
 N retiring from the Office ^MAS- 
 TER of the MERCHANT COMPANY, 
 which I have twice held with so 
 much pleasure to myself y and in thanking you 
 for the uniform kindness and support which 
 I have received at your hands, I take this op- 
 portunity of offering for your acceptance the 
 
 present 
 
 189251 
 
IV 
 
 Address. 
 
 present Volume, containing (i) the valuable 
 Left u re, delivered by my friend Mr Keith 
 Johnston, at the Conversazione, which you 
 did me the honour to attend in April last ; and 
 (2) some Historical Notes as to the rise, 
 progress, and present position of the Merchant 
 Company. 
 
 Desirous of presenting the Lecture in as 
 attractive a form as the limited resources of 
 a Private Printing Press would admit of, 1 
 have called in the aid of our talented young 
 townsman Mr Clark Stanton, to illustrate the 
 different headings. 
 
 Although the Company, to which we have 
 the privilege to belong, is entitled to the term 
 antient as well as honourable, no printed 
 Account is extant, which can convey to our 
 
 younger 
 
Address. 
 
 younger Members any idea of the very im- 
 portant position it has occupied from its ear- 
 liest days, nor of the part it has taken, from 
 time to time, in all the leading questions which 
 have engaged the attention of the mercantile 
 community. 
 
 This I considered to be a great desideratum ; 
 and on mentioning it to Mr A. K. Mackie, the 
 Assistant of our excellent Clerk, he at once 
 offered to prepare some Notes on the subjeff 
 of the Company's early history, to accompany 
 Mr Keith Johnston's Lecture ; and to him, 
 therefore, the Members are indebted for the 
 interesting Historical Notes, which form the 
 Second Part of this Volume. 
 
 In the sincere hope and assurance that the 
 Merchant Company will go on prospering as it 
 
 has 
 
vi Address, 
 
 has hitherto done, and that the noble Hospitals 
 under its charge may continue to flourish, I 
 subscribe myself, in all truth and sincerity, 
 
 Tour 'very faithful Servant, 
 
 CHARLES LARSON, 
 Master. 
 
 BORTHWICK HALL, istSept. 1862. 
 
Table of Contents. 
 
 PART I. 
 
 THE GEOGRAPHICAL DISTRIBUTION OF MATERIAL 
 WEALTH. 
 
 PAGE 
 
 Introduction I Contents 
 
 The Mineral Kingdom 18 
 
 The Vegetable Kingdom 45 
 
 The Animal Kingdom 81 
 
 Curiosities of Commerce 101 
 
 PART II. 
 
 HISTORICAL NOTES REGARDING THE MERCHANT 
 COMPANY OF EDINBURGH. 
 
 The Merchant Company I 
 
 Charter of Charles II __ 8 
 
 Original Rules 17 
 
 The Widows' Scheme 95 
 
 The Merchant Maiden Hospital 107 
 
 George Watson's Hospital liz 
 
 Gillespie's Hospital and Free School 118 
 
 Grindlay's Trust 122, 
 
 Daniel Stewart's Hospital 124 
 
 Vll 
 
Vlll 
 
 Contents. 
 
 Contents 
 
 APPENDIX. 
 
 PAGE. 
 
 1. List of the Members since 1 68 1 i 
 
 2. Number of Members admitted from 1777 to 1862 xxiv 
 
 3. Masters of the Company since 1 68 1 xxv 
 
 4. Treasurers of the Company since 1 681 xxvi 
 
 5. Copy of Charter of George III., dated 1777 xxviii 
 
 6. An Act for enlarging the Powers of the Company of 
 
 Merchants of the City of Edinburgh, 1798 xxxii 
 
 7. An Act to amend an Act for enlarging the Powers of the 
 
 Company of Merchants of the City of Edinburgh, 1827 xxxviii 
 
 8. Extract from Burke's Peerage xlv 
 
 9. Report of Conversazione, at which Mr Keith Johnston's 
 
 Lecture was delivered xlvi 
 
 ILLUSTRATIONS. 
 
 FROM THE DESIGNS OF CLARK STANTON. 
 Presentation Plate. Engraved by R. Paterson 
 
 Vignette Heading 
 
 The Mineral Kingdom 
 
 The Vegetable Kingdom 
 
 The Animal Kingdom 
 
 The Curiosities of Commerce.. 
 
 Emblematic Heading the Stock 
 
 of Broom and Insignia 
 
 R. Paterson 
 J. R. Corner 
 W. M. Williams 
 J. Borders 
 R. Paterson 
 
 R. Paterson 
 
 MAP. 
 
 PHYSICAL AND COMMERCIAL CHART OF THE WORLD. 
 By Alexander Keith Johnston, F.R.S.E. 
 
PHYSICAL ft. COM MERC 
 
L CHAKT -JOJF 
 
 WORLB 
 
 r. x [> I ,i ii a t KIII 
 
 ' rr;:-n . T.it'le- lands ^ ]/Lfnntairix 'ftn 'Vn 
 GolcLtm Sihermm Iron ^ /',ii mm 
 
 

 HEN my esteemed 
 friend, the MASTER, 
 invited me to read an 
 Address to the Mem- 
 bers of the Antient Company 
 of Merchants, my first idea, on 
 thinking over a subject, was, that 
 we might spend an agreeable hour 
 together in performing an imaginary tour 
 round the world, calling in at those maritime 
 seats of trade, the names of which are 
 more familiar in our tables of imports and 
 
 exports ; 
 
IntrodudHon 
 
 Geographical Distribution of 
 
 exports; and making an occasional journey 
 into the interior of countries by means of na- 
 vigable rivers, or by caravan routes in the 
 eastern, and railways in the western hemisphere. 
 
 Beginning at the cradle of navigation, and 
 the birth-place of all that is great in the early 
 history of human progress, we might have 
 crept cautiously along the shores of the Le- 
 vant, or, sailing from Tyre, the antient 
 c< Queen of the Ocean," with Phoenicians for 
 our pilots, and the stars for our guides, we 
 might have ventured out beyond the Pillars of 
 Hercules, and, steering a dubious course to the 
 north-west, have visited the semi-barbarous in- 
 habitants of a misty and half mythic island, 
 called Britain, to barter with them for the tin 
 of Cassiterides, the only exportable article their 
 poor country afforded. 
 
 Then, turning in another direction, we might 
 have taken passage on board of one of King 
 
 Solomon's 
 
Material Wealth. 
 
 Solomon's ships of Tarshish, which left the 
 port of Eziongeber once in three years, and, 
 aided by the south-west monsoon, have rowed 
 eastward across the Arabian Sea to the far dis- 
 tant Land of Ophir ; ruminating as we went 
 on the revolutions of Empires, which, in the 
 course of ages, have placed so large a portion 
 of that once renowned golden region under the 
 sceptre of our Sovereign Lady Victoria, the 
 beloved and revered Queen of England, and 
 Empress of India.* On our return voyage, 
 bringing gold, silver, and ivory, we might 
 have amused ourselves with the " apes and pea- 
 cocks" which formed important items in the 
 royal traders' bill of lading. Once more on 
 terra firma^ and mounting our camels, we 
 
 might 
 
 * The Ophir of Scripture was probably the western coast of India j 
 and the name may have extended to the Malay Peninsula, where the 
 word ' Ophir' means a gold mine. Ceylon is believed to be the Tar- 
 shish of Solomon. 
 
 B 2 
 
 Ophir 
 
Early 
 Voyagers 
 
 Geographical Distribution of 
 
 might have joined company with the Ishmaelite 
 caravan, which, laden with spices and balm 
 from Gilead, carried Joseph into Egypt, to 
 learn from him there a lesson on the manage- 
 ment of our surplus stores in times of scarcity. 
 With Bartolomeo Diaz, we might have doubled 
 the " stormy cape," afterwards the better 
 omened Cape of Good Hope, and predicted, 
 in consequence, the ruin of the lucrative trade 
 from the east by Aden and the Red Sea. By 
 and bye, we might have met with Christopher 
 Columbus, and, entering into his enlightened 
 views, would have embarked in one of his cara- 
 vels at the port of Palos, in Andalucia. We 
 would have shared the terror of his companions 
 as they ploughed through the Sargasso Sea, 
 a meadow in mid-ocean ; but, sustained by the 
 unwavering faith of the great commander, we 
 would have glided gently across what he called 
 the Ladies' Gulf (// golfo de las damas), till, 
 
 in 
 
Material Wealth. 
 
 in the prophetic words of his dream, we " un- 
 cc barred the gates of ocean ;" and, making our 
 landfall at Watling Island, would have taken 
 part in the discovery of a new world. We 
 would have knelt with Nunez de Balbao, in 
 silent admiration, as from the summit of the 
 Isthmus of Panama he gazed for the first time 
 on the great Southern Ocean ; and, plunging 
 his drawn sword into its waters, took possession, 
 in the name of Spain, of all the lands on its 
 borders. With the intrepid Magellan, we 
 might have passed through the strait that bears 
 his name into the same vast ocean which he 
 found and called the Pacific, and, returning 
 by the Philippines and the Cape, would have 
 witnessed the first circumnavigation of the 
 globe, by which its spherical form was satisfac- 
 torily demonstrated. Then, tracing out the 
 blood-stained career of Pizzaro, and noting 
 the rapidly increasing power and growing 
 
 avarice 
 
 Columbus 
 
Raleigh and 
 Drake 
 
 Geographical Distribution of 
 
 avarice of the Spaniards, their cruel treatment 
 of the noble Montezuma and the peaceful 
 Incas, we would have foreseen the decadence 
 which was sure to follow the fortunes of that 
 State which thus raised itself on the ruin of 
 others. Or, coming nearer home, we might 
 have shared in the enthusiasm of the brave 
 spirits of Elizabeth's time, accompanying Ra- 
 leigh to the land of the far west, which he 
 named after his virgin queen : sympathising 
 with him on the failure of his attempt to dis- 
 cover the often sought, but ever evanescent 
 El Dorado ; helping Drake to lighten the 
 Spanish galleons of their ill-gotten plate and 
 treasure from the port of Acapulco, or witness- 
 ing the destruction of an entire fleet in the Bay 
 of Cadiz, when he and Raleigh returned the 
 compliment intended for us by Philip and his 
 Invincible Armada ! Thus floating down the 
 stream of time, we would have seen navi- 
 gation 
 
Material Wealth. 
 
 gation become a great science, earnestly studied 
 by every enlightened people ; travelling, even 
 in the desert, a pastime participated in by num- 
 bers of the gentler sex ; and commerce gradu- 
 ally developed into a mighty power, engaging 
 the activities of millions, and constantly tend- 
 ing to unite, in one common brotherhood, the 
 scattered family of man. But a little reflection 
 convinced me that this is too large a theme ; 
 that long before we could have completed our 
 circuit, your patience and my time would, 
 alike, have been exhausted ; and second 
 thoughts suggested a more rapid bird's-eye 
 view of the world, looking chiefly at the dis- 
 tribution of material wealth over its surface, 
 in its bearings on commerce and navigation. 
 To this, therefore, I now beg to direct your 
 attention. 
 
 The term material wealth, as here employed, 
 is meant to embrace all those substances of the 
 
 natural 
 
 Material 
 wealth 
 
Geographical Distribution of 
 
 Distribution 
 of wealth 
 
 natural kingdoms which, whether as raw mate- 
 rials for our manufactures, as necessaries and 
 luxuries for our tables, or ornaments for our 
 toilets, are the objects of commercial enterprise. 
 These substances are so distributed throughout 
 the vast storehouse of nature, that no country, 
 however favoured as to climate and soil, is so 
 rich that it can lay claim to a monopoly ; and 
 none, however apparently barren, is so poor 
 that it cannot add something to the general 
 store. If China furnishes our teas and the 
 Moluccas our spices, Iceland contributes its 
 wool, and Siberia its furs. This beneficent 
 arrangement, while it evinces forethought and 
 design on the part of the Great Architect, 
 affords a proof that the earth was created for 
 the occupation of man as a social being, de- 
 pending for his happiness and his progress on 
 his fellow men. But for this disposition, which 
 sent us to seek for the oil that fed our domestic 
 
 lamp 
 
Material Wealth. 
 
 lamp to seas within the arctic circle, and scat- 
 tered gold over the surface of Australian wilds, 
 the Greenlander might have been left to pine 
 alone within his ice-girt shores, and the savage 
 of the southern continent might have disap- 
 peared from the face of the globe before the 
 lineaments of his peculiar physiognomy had 
 been photographed for the benefit of future 
 ethnologists. For an explanation of the manner 
 of this distribution, in so far as it can be ex- 
 plained by natural causes, we must look to the 
 facts and deductions of Physical Geography; 
 that interesting branch of knowledge, a com- 
 pound of many of the sciences, which, freed 
 from the trammels of the old cosmography and 
 the more modern routine of analysis, regards 
 our planet not merely as the theatre of man's 
 exploits the scene of his ambition and his 
 crimes, with boundaries traced in blood but 
 as the green earth, fresh from the hands of its 
 
 Maker, 
 
 Physical 
 Geography 
 
10 
 
 Geographical Distribution of 
 
 Mountains 
 
 Maker, whose boundaries are the engirdling 
 waters and the everlasting hills. 
 
 Physical Geography teaches that there is a 
 majestic harmony in the distribution of the 
 grand masses which form the solid portions of 
 the earth's crust; that these masses are simple in 
 their original types, and that these types have 
 a constant tendency to repeat themselves, as ob- 
 served in the tapering of all the great peninsulas 
 towards the south. But the most prominent 
 characteristic features of the present condition of 
 our planet are the great mountain chains, which, 
 as apparent on the map, form two principal 
 classes: those in the Old World, Asia, with 
 its peninsular prolongation Europe, and the 
 Barbary States ; which extend, with few excep- 
 tions, in the direction of the parallels, or 
 from west to east; and those of the New 
 World, America, which run on the line of 
 the meridians, or from south to north. The 
 
 map 
 
Material Wealth. 
 
 1 1 
 
 map is so coloured as to convey a general idea 
 of the structure of the globe; the deep green 
 colour is meant to indicate plains and low lands, 
 extending from the level of the sea to 300 or 
 400 feet above that level ; and the pale green, up 
 to 500 or 600 feet. The pale brown marks out 
 rising grounds, table-lands, and mountain slopes, 
 up to about i ooo feet ; and the dark brown and 
 black, all above this to 29,000 feet, the cul- 
 minating point of the whole. The portions of 
 the mountains which, in nature, are covered 
 with perpetual snow, are marked white on the 
 dark ground; these snow-white patches indicate 
 the highest points of a system, the sites of true 
 glaciers and the sources of great rivers.* Cen- 
 tral Asia is traversed by the highest mountains 
 on the globe, and these support vast table-lands 
 
 rising 
 
 * These explanations refer to the large Physico-Commercial Map, 
 now in the Industrial Museum of Scotland. The scale of the sketch 
 map attached is too small to shew particular features. 
 
 Map explained 
 
12 
 
 Mountains 
 and Plains 
 
 Geographical Distribution of 
 
 rising to an elevation of 15,000 feet above the 
 sea. In America, the high-lands form a nar- 
 row band extending along its western shores, 
 while the central and eastern portions, almost 
 from the north to the south pole, are occupied 
 by plains, interrupted only by comparatively 
 low hills. 
 
 There is a remarkable connexion between 
 the configuration of a continent and the civiliza- 
 tion of its tribes and peoples. Mountain chains 
 extending along the parallels of latitude give 
 rise to greater differences between nations than 
 those which stretch along the meridians of 
 longitude ; a circumstance which also affects 
 the fauna and flora of a region. Hence, 
 almost all mixtures of nations and languages 
 have occurred along meridional lines of moun- 
 tains, and the course of war and conquest have 
 been modified by the same cause. Arnold 
 says truly, that Cf the whole character of a 
 
 Cf nation 
 
Material Wealth. 
 
 " nation may be influenced by its geology and 
 <c physical geography." Writing twenty years 
 since, he asks, " What is it that threatens the 
 " permanence of the American Confederacy, 
 " but the physiological fact, that the soil and 
 " climate of the southern States render them 
 <c eminently agricultural ; while those of the 
 " northern States, combined with their geo- 
 Cl graphical advantages as to seaports, dispose 
 " them, no less naturally, to be manufacturing 
 * c and commercial." 
 
 Had he been writing now, when the Con- 
 federacy is no longer permanent, he would 
 doubtless have recognised the difficulty that 
 presents itself to the effectual separation of a 
 kindred people, occupying together a vast 
 central valley, 1500 miles in length, in the 
 absence of any great natural barrier. Mountain 
 summits attract vapours, which, in condensing, 
 form mists or clouds, and frequently tempests ; 
 
 they 
 
 Arnold quoted 
 
Ocean 
 
 Geographical Distribution of 
 
 they thus contribute to the general humidity of 
 a country and to the exhibition of important 
 meteorological and physiological appearances. 
 The ocean is remarkable for equalizing tem- 
 perature, reducing' the heat and tempering the 
 cold of countries in its vicinity ; its Currents 
 carrying warm or tepid water from the equa- 
 torial regions to the frigid north, which, in 
 return, sends ice-cold streams towards the 
 south. The Warm Currents, and their direc- 
 tions, are indicated by red, and the Cold by blue 
 arrows on the map. 
 
 These wonderful marine rivers originate in 
 the Antarctic Drift Current, which, flowing 
 north and east, separates on approaching the 
 coast of South America: one branch turning 
 eastward round Cape Horn to the Falklands, 
 and another northward along the coasts of Chili 
 and Peru, to lat. 20, where it is deflected 
 westward to form the Equatorial Drift, which 
 
 crosses 
 
Material Wealth. 
 
 crosses the Pacific with a breadth of 50. At 
 the Philippines it is partly turned to the north, 
 as the Japan Current, and partly passes 
 through the Moluccas to the Indian Ocean, 
 crossing which it enters the Channel of Mo- 
 zambique, and forms the Agulhas Current, 
 which, sweeping round the Cape of Good 
 Hope, runs north along the west coast of 
 Africa, to originate the Equatorial Current. 
 Again flowing westward, the moving mass 
 of water splits on the north-eastern shoulder 
 of South America, the smaller portion turning 
 southward, as the Brazil Current, and the larger 
 running west-north-west, through the Carib- 
 bean Sea, to form the Florida Gulf Stream. 
 From the Gulf of Mexico the pent-up water 
 escapes through the Strait of Florida, between 
 Cuba and the Bahama Banks, and flows north- 
 ward, off the shores of the American States, as 
 a sharply defined stream, different in colour, 
 
 temperature, 
 
 Ocean 
 Currents 
 
i6 
 
 Gulf Stream 
 
 Geographical Distribution of 
 
 temperature, and saltness, from the ocean which 
 forms its banks. Trending eastward, it spreads 
 out and decreases in velocity and in heat as it 
 approaches the Azores, round which it sweeps 
 to rejoin the Equatorial Current, inclosing the 
 eddy called the Sargasso Sea, in which it de- 
 posits vast quantities of duck weed. The 
 north-easterly branch extends to the coasts of 
 Ireland, Scotland, Iceiand, Norway, and Spitz- 
 bergen, meeting in its course the antagonistic 
 Cold Current from the Arctic regions. The 
 Warm Currents uniformly flow from the equa- 
 torial towards the Polar regions, and the Cold 
 Currents in an opposite direction. The tem- 
 perature of Humboldt's Current is 12 or 14 
 below that of the Pacific, and the Arctic Current 
 passes Iceland with a temperature 17 or 18 
 below that of the tepid waters in its vicinity. 
 The Gulf Stream has, in some places, a tem- 
 perature of 20 or 30 above the Atlantic, 
 
 and 
 
Material Wealth. 
 
 and this genial warmth, borne to our shores by 
 the prevailing south-westerly winds, keeps our 
 ports open at all seasons ; while those on the 
 western continent, in the same latitude, are 
 ice-bound during the greater part of the year. 
 This is made apparent by the looping of the 
 yearly and monthly isothermals far to the 
 north in this region. The velocity of the 
 Ocean Currents varies from two to eighty miles 
 in twenty-four hours. 
 
 The 
 
 Effefts of the 
 Gulf Stream 
 
The Mineral Kingdom. 
 
 Coal, Iron, Copper-- Gold, Silver, Pluiiva Precious Stones or Gems. 
 
 ALTHOUGH Minerals are not subject 
 to laws of distribution like Plants and 
 Animals, yet each metalliferous depo- 
 sit has its distinctive position 
 among the series of rocks. 
 
Material Wealth. 
 
 Tin abounds most in granite, Gold in the pa- 
 laeozoic rocks, Copper in slate formations, Sil- 
 ver in the primary and transition rocks, Lead 
 in the carboniferous limestone, and Iron in the 
 coal and oolitic strata. 
 
 COAL, though of organic origin, is included 
 among minerals; and as the chief, now, indeed, 
 almost the only source of mechanical power, of 
 heat and of light, it would be difficult to over- 
 estimate its importance. It is supposed to have 
 been known to the antient Britons, from the 
 circumstance of a flint axe having been found 
 in a bed of Coal in Monmouthshire. There 
 is evidence to indicate its employment as fuel 
 by the Romans while in England ; and it was 
 an article of household use in the year A.D. 852. 
 
 In 1259, King Henry III. granted to the 
 c< good men of Newcastle" the privilege of dig- 
 ging Coal, and this is probably the first notice 
 
 of 
 
 Distribution 
 of Metals 
 
 History of 
 Coal 
 
 C 2 
 
2O 
 
 Coal in 
 London 
 
 Coal Gas 
 
 Geographical Distribution of 
 
 of its actual working. A similar privilege 
 was granted for Fife, to the Abbey of Dun- 
 fermline, in 1291. In 1306, during the reign 
 of Edward I., the people of London protested 
 against the introduction of Coal into the city, 
 on the plea, that the smoke and smell arising 
 from its combustion were prejudicial to health; 
 but the protest was ineffectual, since it came 
 into general use a few years after, in the reign of 
 Charles I. (1625). At the beginning of the 
 eighteenth century, the consumption of Coal 
 was greatly increased by the manufacture of 
 glass at Newcastle and stoneware in Stafford- 
 shire ; but its most wonderful application was 
 in the distillation of gas for domestic use, pro- 
 ducing a light so brilliant and so pure that, 
 compared to earlier means of illumination, it 
 may be said, in the darkest night f< almost to 
 " anticipate the dawn." 
 
 The distillation of Coal was first tried in 
 
Material Wealth. 
 
 1665, by James Clayton, an English physi- 
 cian. In 1798, the experiment was renewed 
 by an engineer of the name of Murdoch, 
 at Soho, near Birmingham ; where, for the 
 first time, Coal-gas was used in illumination 
 at the establishment of James Watt, on oc- 
 casion of the peace of Amiens, in 1802. 
 Soon after this, a German, named Winsor, 
 obtained from George III. an exclusive privi- 
 lege to light London with gas: a company was 
 formed by Act of Parliament, and in 1823, 
 gas illumination became general throughout 
 Great Britain. Since then, the use of Coal in 
 steam power, in manufactures, and in loco- 
 motive engines, has crowned the triumphs of 
 this substance, composed of the exuberant 
 vegetation of a former period,* as the most 
 
 powerful 
 
 * Robert Stephenson says, " the heat of burning Coal is but the 
 liberation of those rays of the sun which have been locked up in the 
 
 "dark 
 
 21 
 
 Origin of Gas 
 
22 
 
 upply of Coal 
 in Britain 
 
 Geographical Distribution of 
 
 powerful and universal agent in modern civili- 
 zation.* 
 
 As shewn by the signs on the map, Coal 
 is very widely distributed; the total quan- 
 tity annually mined over the globe, is esti- 
 mated at 128 millions of tons, and of this 
 Great Britain and Ireland produce more 
 than one-half. It is calculated that there are 
 in Great Britain 5431 square miles stored 
 with Coal to a depth of 4000 feet, equal to 
 79,843 millions of tons; an amount sufficient 
 to sustain the present supply for upwards 
 
 of 
 
 " dark chambers of the rocks since the time that our great luminary shone 
 " down on the primeval forest." 
 
 * Such is the dynamic value of Coal, that, according to Professor 
 Rogers, in his elaborate treatise on The Geology of .Pennsylvania, a 
 pound weight of it is equal to a day's wages ; and, estimating a lifetime 
 of hard work at 20 years, giving 300 working days to a year, we have 
 for a man's total dynamic efforts, 6000 days. In Coal this lifetime 
 of muscular exertion is represented by the amazingly small amount of 
 three tons. 
 
Material Wealth. 
 
 of 1000 years.* But if, as our mining- 
 engineers assure us, for every additional birth 
 in our rapidly increasing population an addi- 
 tional ton of Coal is required, it is evident 
 that this rate of consumption must soon be 
 greatly exceeded: it is, however, consoling to 
 know, that the American Coal- bearing traces are 
 upwards of seventy times the area of our own.f 
 The latest and most interesting of the sub- 
 stances derived from Coal are the new and bril- 
 liant colours obtained from aniline, a product 
 of coal-tar. These dyes are the fashionable 
 
 and 
 
 * The Coal Fieldt of Great Britain, by Edw. Hull, B.A., London, 
 1861. " In Britain alone," says Mr Hull, " Coal propels 5200 lo- 
 '* comotive engines with their trains over 9500 miles of railway. It heals 
 " 607 iron-furnaces, besides those for smelting ores. It sets in motion 
 " the machinery of 3000 factories, 2500 steam vessels and smaller craft, 
 " and lights, I dare not say how many, forges, fires, stoves, and 
 " ovens." 
 
 f- The great Coal-bed of Pictou, Nova Scotia, is 34 feet in vertical 
 thickness. 
 
 Coal tar Dyes 
 
Geographical Distribution of 
 
 Refuse of Coal 
 
 and well-known Mauve, Violine, Roseine, 
 Magenta, Solferino, and Azuline. Thus, the 
 very refuse of Coal, pitch, and the most of- 
 fensive oils, are, by the labours of the chemist, 
 transmuted into objects which minister to the 
 most refined taste. 
 
 IRON, as shewn by the red spots on the map, 
 has, in Central Europe and North America 
 generally, the same geographical distribution as 
 coal. There are colossal Iron hills near Tornea 
 in Lapland, and in the Ural Mountains, where 
 Blagod Mountain, 1500 feet high, is one. mass 
 of magnetic Iron. Iron mines are worked in 
 the Zillerthal Tyrol, Piedmont, Elba, Brazil, 
 and Chili : the richest, commercially, are those 
 of Great Britain, Axehdal in Norway, Danne- 
 mora and Taberg, in Swedish Lapland. Great 
 Britain produces more of this metal than all 
 other countries together, because the same 
 
 soil 
 
Material Wealth. 
 
 soil which contains coal, contains also Iron ore, 
 lime, and clay.* 
 
 It was long since said, that the possession 
 of Iron is the essential condition of civiliza- 
 tion ; and this is now the case more than 
 ever, since to it we owe the steam-engine, the 
 railway, electric telegraphs, tubular bridges, and 
 mailed war ships. The Germans have a pro- 
 verb, "gold to amuse, iron to use;" and Locke, 
 in his Essay on the Human Understanding, ob- 
 serves, that "if the use of Iron were lost among 
 " us, we should, in a few ages, be reduced to the 
 " wants and ignorance of the antient savage 
 " Americans." Iron appears to have been little 
 
 used 
 
 * In 1857, there were in Britain 828 furnaces, producing 3,659,447 
 tons of pig Iron, the value of which was upwards of 14,000,000 ster- 
 ling. The following shews the estimated quantity, in tons, of Iron 
 produced in the different quarters of the globe. Europe, 88,000,0005 
 Asia, 8,480,0005 America, 11,625,000; Africa, 8o,ocoj Australia, 
 1000. Produce of the whole earth, in round numbers, 108,000,000 
 tons. 
 
 Iron as a 
 civilizer 
 
26 
 
 Geographical Distribution of 
 
 The Hot Blast 
 
 Early use of 
 Copper 
 
 used in Greece till after the Trojan war ; it 
 was made by the Romans in the forest of 
 Dean, Gloucestershire; and in 1619, Lord 
 Dudley obtained a patent for smelting it with 
 pit coal instead of timber ; but it received its 
 greatest impulse from the introduction of the 
 " hot blast" in 1828; and since then, every step 
 in the improvement of its manufacture has 
 been a signal for increasing progress in many 
 of the more important arts. 
 
 COPPER is said to derive its name from the 
 island of Cyprus, which was formerly rich in 
 this metal. It was known in the earliest times, 
 when it was used in making domestic utensils, 
 before the means of working iron was dis- 
 covered. The warriors of Troy had bra- 
 zen weapons, and ploughshares were first 
 made of Copper, as well as the axe heads 
 of the antient Siberians. It occurs both pure 
 
 and 
 
Material Wealth. 
 
 27 
 
 and in many combinations, in rocks of nearly 
 every formation. 
 
 In Britain, the principal Copper mines are 
 those of Cornwall, Devon, Wales, and Ireland ; 
 those of Scotland are nearly abandoned. The 
 entire produce of the United Kingdom, in 
 1857, was 218,689 tons of ore, value 
 1,560,922 sterling. 
 
 After the English, the most important Cop- 
 per mines, in a commercial point of view, are 
 those of Chili, Cuba, Spain, and South Aus- 
 tralia, where the Burra Burra mines, north 
 of Adelaide, in 1850, yielded 18,692 tons. 
 Copper ores abound in Russia, Japan, and 
 South America. The famous mines of Dale- 
 carlia, in Sweden, are believed to have been 
 worked for more than a thousand years; and 
 there Copper pyrites is found in large masses in 
 the micaceous schists. One block was found on 
 Lake Superior which weighed twenty-six, and 
 
 another 
 
 Copper in 
 Britain, Sec. 
 
Geographical Distribution of 
 
 The Precious 
 Metals 
 
 Antient 
 esteem for 
 Gold 
 
 another in South Australia, twenty-four tons. 
 The Copper of Japan is said to be the purest, 
 and its mines among the richest in the world. 
 
 GOLD, SILVER, and PLATINA, are, by com- 
 mon consent, included in the class of Precious 
 Metals. These, especially Gold and Platina, 
 are, on account of their resistance to foreign 
 influences, generally found in a pure state in 
 nature ; and their lustre and beauty remaining 
 thus unaltered by time or exposure, secures for 
 them their pre-eminence in the arts. 
 
 Gold was known in the earliest times : Abra- 
 ham is described . as being <c rich in silver and 
 " gold." This metal was held in the greatest esti- 
 mation by the Greeks and Romans. The apples 
 of the garden of the Hesperides were of gold, 
 so also were the drinking cups from which the 
 antient Greeks poured libations to their deities. 
 
 Ductility is one of the great characteristics 
 
 of 
 
Material Wealth. 
 
 29 
 
 of the Precious Metals. It is a proverbial say- 
 ing on some parts of the Continent, that cc a 
 cc horse and his rider can be gilded with a ducat," 
 but its extensibility is much greater than this, 
 and is indeed almost indefinite. A grain of 
 Gold, which is not so large as the head of a 
 common pin, can be drawn out into 500 feet 
 of wire, and Gold is beaten into leaves which 
 are not more than i-2OO,oooth part of an inch 
 in thickness. Gold may be said to be uni- 
 versally distributed : it occurs mostly in the 
 palaeozoic rocks, and everywhere shews a pre- 
 ference for mountain chains running north 
 and south, as in the Urals, Mexico, the Andes 
 of Peru, California, British Columbia, Aus- 
 tralia, Borneo, and on the Malabar coast of 
 India. In T 844, Sir R. I. Murchison was led, 
 from a resemblance between the Blue Moun- 
 tains of Australia and the Urals, to fortell 
 the existence of Gold in its eastern Cor- 
 dillera. 
 
 Duality of 
 Gold 
 
 Distribution 
 of Gold 
 
New Gold 
 Fields 
 
 Geographical Distribution of 
 
 dillera. In 1851, extensive diggings were 
 worked in New South Wales; since then, 
 Gold has been discovered in wide-spread loca- 
 lities of the province Victoria. The Califor- 
 nian diggings were discovered in 1848, and 
 in 1857 its returns were estimated at nearly 
 14,000,000 sterling.* But this was far ex- 
 ceeded by Australia, which, in 1852, yielded 
 nearly i 8, 000,000, f an amount which might 
 have given a semblance of reality to the dreams 
 of the middle ages, and a warrant to the pre- 
 tensions of the alchymist to turn the most 
 ordinary stones into Gold. But having fulfilled 
 the purpose of attracting a working population 
 
 to 
 
 * Or 659,000 more than the produce of all North and South America 
 (exclusive of California) in 1850, which was only 13,341,989. 
 
 f In 1852, the province of Victoria alone yielded Gold to the value 
 of 14,866,799 j in addition to which, in the same year, New South 
 Wales returned an amount of 3,000,000, in all 17,866,799. Since 
 then, however, the supply has greatly declined, and the latest returns 
 
 (1859) 
 
Material Wealth. 
 
 to an unpeopled country, the supply immedi- 
 ately began to decline, and - is now little more 
 than half of what it was in 1852. The golden, or 
 gilded star, is again hovering over other regions 
 which, in their turn, will be as quickly occupied. 
 In 1857, the province Nelson, New Zea- 
 land, had its turn, and for a time exported to 
 the value of 50,000 a year. In 1861, Otago 
 became the point of attraction, and is now 
 rapidly filling its coffers. In the same year, 
 800 men were employed in the newly dis- 
 covered diggings of Nova Scotia, while the 
 Gold fields of British Columbia are so rapidly 
 increasing in importance that the produce of 
 
 the 
 
 (1859) shew, for New South Wales, 1,698,078, and for Victoria, 
 8,624,860, rnaking in all, 10,322,938, or not much more than one- 
 half the yield of 1852. 
 
 The total amount of Gold received from Australia since 1851, is 
 800 tons, equal to 104,000,000 sterling, which, it is said, would form 
 an obelisk of solid gold, ten feet square at the base, and forty-two feet 
 high. 
 
 Gold in 
 Australia 
 
 Gold in 
 New Zealand 
 
Gold in 
 British 
 Colonies 
 
 Geographical Distribution of 
 
 the season 1861 is estimated at more than 
 1,000,000 sterling; and, as if all this were 
 not enough for our share, Gold was found 
 in the spring of this year, in workable quan- 
 tity, on the coast of Malabar (the antient 
 Ophir), in British India, and also in the river 
 beds of Natal, in British Africa. 
 
 Silver is found mostly in undisturbed primi- 
 tive rocks, occasionally pure, but generally in 
 combination witlvlead ore; it has been known 
 since the most remote antiquity, and, for its ex- 
 cellent qualities, was early chosen as a medium 
 of monetary circulation. The richest Silver 
 mines in the world are situated in the Cordil- 
 leras of Mexico and South America.* In 
 Europe, the principal Silver mines are those 
 
 of 
 
 * The most celebrated are, in Mexico those of Quanaxuato, Sombre- 
 rete, and Zacatecas; in Bolivia, those of Potosi, at an elevation of 1 5,200 
 feet} and in Peru, those of Pasco, which have been worked since the 
 beginning of the seventeenth century. 
 
Material Wealth. 
 
 33 
 
 of the Erzgebirge, the Hartz, Saxony, Hun- 
 gary, and Transylvania, Norway, Sweden,* 
 Spain, and Piedmont. Spain was extolled by the 
 antients for its Silver mines, and the Guadal- 
 quivir was said to "spring from Silver roots." 
 Asia possesses Silver mines, the value of which 
 is little known. Russia derives a large amount 
 of Silver from China and from the mines of 
 Siberia ; the auriferous sands of the Urals also 
 contain this metal. A small but increasing quan- 
 tity of Silver is procured from the lead mines 
 in Great Britain, the amount for 1858 being 
 157,119. In 1 8 50, the total produce of Gold 
 and Silver from the mines of Europe, Africa, 
 and Asia (exclusive of China and Japan), was 
 nearly 7,000,000; while, at the same time, 
 North and South America yielded^ 20,000,000. 
 Platina, a word adopted from the Spanish, 
 
 meaning 
 
 * The Kongsberg Mines of Sweden alone yielded, in 1858, Silver to 
 the value of 1,377,769. 
 
 Silver in 
 Spain 
 
 British native 
 Silver 
 
 D 
 
34 
 
 Platina 
 
 Geographical Distribution of 
 
 meaning cc small silver/' is a white metal, but 
 not bright like the former. It is the heaviest 
 known substance, its specific gravity being to 
 gold as 21 to 19, and it is wonderfully ductile 
 and tenacious. For certain purposes in in- 
 dustry and the arts, especially in the labora- 
 tory, it is the only suitable metal. 
 
 Platina was introduced into Europe by 
 Charles Wood, an English metallurgist, who 
 published his observations in 1749. Previous 
 to that time it was found in South America, 
 chiefly in the auriferous sands of Peru, where 
 for long it was thrown into the rivers as use- 
 less. It is found in sandy soils along with 
 gold and the diamond, in Columbia, Mato- 
 Grosso, and Minas-Geraes in Brazil, in Siberia 
 and in the Ural Mountains, where it is got in 
 grains and in pieces, occasionally some pounds 
 in weight. It has recently been discovered in 
 Borneo, and also in California, but in quantities 
 
 too 
 
Material Wealth. 
 
 35 
 
 too small to be of commercial importance. 
 For ten years from 1824, it was in use for 
 coin in Russia, but was withdrawn for want of 
 sufficient supplies from the mines. 
 
 The value of the Precious Metals in Great 
 Britain, in the shape of plate, watches, jewels, 
 &c., in 1858, is estimated by M'Culloch (al- 
 lowing ^4 sterling to each individual of the 
 entire population), at T 00,000,000 sterling. 
 
 The value in coin, for the same year, is as- 
 sumed to be from ^7 0,000,000 to j 5, 000,000 
 sterling. He further estimates that about 
 1 2,000,000 of the total supplies of the Pre- 
 cious Metals from the mines are annually dis- 
 posed of in the arts, plate, jewellery, gilding, 
 &c., in Europe, America, and Australia. 
 
 PRECIOUS STONES OR GEMS comprise those 
 mineral substances which, from the beauty of 
 their colours, their brilliancy, transparency, or 
 
 hardness, 
 
 Precious Metals 
 in Britain 
 
 Gems 
 
 2 D 
 
Geographical Distribution of 
 
 Classification 
 of Gems 
 
 hardness, are eagerly sought after. The most 
 valuable are found in the primitive rocks, 
 and are more abundant in India, Ceylon, and 
 Brazil, than in any other country. Pearls 
 and Coral are ranked among Precious Stones, 
 for, although furnished by the animal king- 
 dom, their composition is essentially mineral. 
 M. Barbot* classes Gems in the following or- 
 der: Diamond, Ruby, Sapphire, Opal, Pearl, 
 Topaz (of the East), Emerald, Turquoise, 
 Garnet (Syrian), Beryl, Amethyst, Hyacinthe 
 Aqua-Marina, Coral, Tourmaline, Rock- 
 Crystal. These stones have acquired, from 
 emulation among the opulent, a fictitious 
 value, unequalled by that of any other pro- 
 duct however useful. This, which has been 
 called " one of the most flagrant aberrations 
 " of human vanity," has given birth, at all 
 
 times 
 
 * Traite des Pierres Precieuses. 
 
Material Wealth. 
 
 37 
 
 times, to a prodigious amount of labour, of 
 commerce and navigation; and whatever may 
 be its legitimacy in a political point of view, 
 the trade in Gems is now more flourishing 
 than ever. If commerce were to be restricted 
 to what is barely necessary to our existence, 
 its advocates would be deprived of one of the 
 strongest arguments in its favour: it is the 
 activity occasioned by the superfluities that 
 constitutes the glory of commerce and the 
 happiness of man. It is estimated that, in 
 all the countries of the world, this branch 
 of industry gives employment to more than 
 2,000,000 of people,* independent of the 
 miners who discover the Gems and the agents 
 who speculate on them. 
 
 Pearls are globular concretions found in the 
 shells of certain fish, especially the mother-of- 
 pearl 
 
 Trade in 
 Gems 
 
 * M. Barbot. 
 
Pearl Banks 
 
 Pearl Divers 
 
 Geographical Distribution of 
 
 pearl oyster, and one of the genus Avicula, 
 which produces the true Oriental Pearl. Pearl 
 fishery banks occur in the Old World, in the 
 Red Sea, in the Persian Gulf, off the coast of 
 Algiers, in the Gulf of Manaar (between In- 
 dia and Ceylon), and off the shores of Japan. 
 In the New World, they occur in the Sea of 
 California, the Gulf of Mexico, near Panama 
 (Islas de los Perlas), West Indies (Margarita 
 or Pearl Isle), the coasts of Peru and Chili, 
 in Guiana, and also in the group of the 
 Philippines and different portions of Oceania; 
 but the principal fishing banks are in the Per- 
 sian Gulf and the Gulf of Manaar, which have 
 been fished since the time of Pliny ; and still, as 
 in former times, the Pearls of Ceylon are 
 held in the greatest esteem in Europe. The 
 Pearl divers use a sinking stone, of 30 Ibs. 
 weight, and the usual depth they attain is from 
 9 to 13 fathoms; the longest time they can 
 
 remain 
 
Material Wealth. 
 
 remain under water is 57 seconds, none being 
 able to complete a full minute. These " indu- 
 " rated dew drops," as Pearls are termed in the 
 figurative language of the Orientals, were first 
 used in Asia, the classical land of luxury and 
 ostentation ; they are spoken of in the Book of 
 Job and in the Proverbs. The Sanscrit, Per- 
 sian, and Arabian poets make them the em- 
 blems of perfection and beauty; and in the 
 Parable of our Lord, the merchant man sold 
 all that he had in order that he might pur- 
 chase " the Pearl of great price." The pre- 
 sent Shah of Persia is said to possess a chaplet 
 of Pearls, each the size of a nut ; and one of 
 his predecessors paid the traveller Tavernier, 
 the sum of i 10,000 for a single Pearl, which 
 he had purchased at Catifa. Pearls were in- 
 troduced into Europe at the time when taste 
 developed itself with the rise of civilization 
 among the Greeks, and Romans, and they are 
 
 still 
 
 39 
 
 Value of the 
 Pearl 
 
4 o 
 
 Geographical Distribution of 
 
 Revenue from 
 Pearl Fisheries 
 
 still among the most esteemed of the Gems 
 used in jewellery: their value depends on their 
 size, form, and colour. So valuable is this 
 branch of industry, that, at Bahrein alone, the 
 annual amount produced by the Pearl fishery is 
 reckoned at from ^200,000 to , 240,000; 
 while that of the entire Persian Gulf is esti- 
 mated at ,3 60,000. In former times, the Pearl 
 fishery of Columbia was of great value. It is 
 said that upwards of 697 Ibs. weight were ex- 
 ported thence to Seville in 1587; and Philip II. 
 of Spain had one from Margarita, valued at 
 150,000 dollars. In 1825, two large joint- 
 stock companies were formed for the fishery 
 on these shores; but they were abandoned in the 
 course of the following year. The collection 
 of 408 Pearls, each weighing 16 grains, be- 
 longing to the court of France, is valued at 
 500,000 francs. 
 
 Coral has the appearance of a shrub with- 
 out 
 
Material Wealth. 
 
 out leaves, and it was long believed to be the 
 wood of a marine plant ; if not a stone. It is 
 in reality the shell or nest of a certain kind of 
 polypus, and the portion formerly taken for 
 the bark is the most recent and less consistent 
 part, of no commercial value. The polypus, 
 of which the Coral is at once the product and 
 the support, is lodged in the numerous cells 
 with which this outer crust is riddled. The 
 true Coral is composed of a calcareous sub- 
 stance, disposed in concentric beds, close in 
 the grain, very hard and easily polished ; its 
 value depends on its size and colour, and it 
 varies in price from eight or ten guineas per 
 ounce to a few shillings per pound weight. 
 
 The principal fishing banks are near Marseille, 
 on the coasts of Corsica, Sardinia, and the Bale- 
 aric Isles, near Tunis and Oran in the Mediter- 
 ranean; in the Red sea; and the Persian Gulf. 
 
 There are several large establishments at 
 
 Leghorn, 
 
 Coral 
 
Geographical Distribution of 
 
 Diamond in 
 India 
 
 Leghorn, where 1000 females are employed in 
 working Coral for ornaments. 
 
 The Diamond occupies the first rank 
 among Precious Stones from the importance 
 of the commerce to which it gives rise, and the 
 esteem of all people in all ages. It has been 
 known since the remotest times, and was an 
 ornament in the breast-plate of the Jewish 
 High-Priest; it is composed of pure carbon, 
 and is the hardest body in nature. 
 
 The first Diamonds were brought from India, 
 where the districts of Sumbulpore, west-south- 
 west of Calcutta; Golconda and Vizapur have 
 furnished the finest in the world. There the 
 quality of the gem is characterised by a classifi- 
 cation bearing the names of the four Hindoo 
 castes; the most valuable being called a Brah- 
 min. In 1728, the Diamond was, by accident, 
 discovered in Brazil, whence commerce has since 
 chiefly derived its supplies; the best being from 
 
 the 
 
Material Wealth. 
 
 43 
 
 the Serro do Frio, north of Rio. Again, in 
 1845, an ther discovery was made at Para- 
 guassu, 130 miles west of Bahia, of the 
 richest mines known ; and, in consequence, 
 a district formerly almost a desert, soon 
 attracted a population of 120,000 persons. 
 Diamonds are found in company with the 
 Topaz, Beryl, Gold, and Platina, in sand 
 and alluvial deposits. Besides India and Bra- 
 zil, the Diamond is found in Borneo, the 
 Urals, Algeria, North Carolina, and Aus- 
 tralia. The method of cutting the Diamond 
 was discovered at Bruges in 1475; anc ^ tm 's 
 important branch of industry is now almost 
 entirely localised in the city of Amsterdam, 
 where it employs a great number of workers, 
 the establishment of M. Coster alone keeping 
 200 grindstones constantly going. The most 
 celebrated Diamonds are those of the Emperor 
 of Russia, weighing 195 carats, and purchased, 
 
 in 
 
 Diamond 
 Cutting 
 
44 
 
 Material Wealth. 
 
 Value of the 
 
 Diamond 
 
 in 1772, for the sum of 90,000 and a life 
 annuity of 4000. The Regent Diamond, 
 belonging to the crown of France, weighing 
 136 carats, and estimated at 12,000,000 francs. 
 The Koh-i-Noor, incomparable for size and 
 grace, weighs 279 carats: it once belonged to 
 the Great Mogul, and is now the property of 
 Queen Victoria. All these were found in India. 
 The Star of the South, the largest ever found 
 in Brazil, weighs 1 25 carats, and is valued at 
 10,000,000 francs. 
 
 The Diamond is not only an article of orna- 
 ment or luxury, it is also employed to great 
 advantage in the arts. The fine Cameo and 
 Intaglio owe their perfection to the Diamond, 
 without which they could not be engraved. 
 The beauty of many of the finest pebbles 
 would be lost but for the Diamond ; and with- 
 out it, blocks of crystal could not be cut into 
 slices for spectacles. 
 
 The 
 
The Vegetable Kingdom 
 
 The Cereals Bread-Fruit Sugar Coffee Tea 
 The Vine Cotton. 
 
 LEAVING for the present the 
 passive objects of the inorganic 
 
 world. 
 
Geographical Distribution of 
 
 Isothermals 
 
 world, we enter the busy scene of animated 
 life, and, out of the almost infinite profusion 
 of Plants and Animals occupying every por- 
 tion of earth and ocean, we shall select a 
 few more immediately connected with com- 
 merce. Modern science has established a 
 division of the globe into different and dis- 
 tinct regions or nations of Plants and Animals, 
 the limits of which are partly circumscribed by 
 seas and continuous chains of mountains, but 
 chiefly by inequalities of temperature. 
 
 These inequalities are expressed on the 
 map by the isothermals, or lines of equal 
 summer heat and winter cold; lines which, as 
 the exponents of a law, are more potent than 
 walls of adamant in separating and keeping 
 asunder the different families and tribes of the 
 natural kingdoms : for what hinders us, in these 
 fortunate isles, from cultivating our orange 
 groves and hedges of myrtle, but the physi- 
 cal 
 
Material Wealth. 
 
 47 
 
 cal law that arrests the wave of maximum 
 summer temperature of 70 as it pulsates from 
 the thermal equator, a few hundred miles be- 
 fore it reaches our shores ? Or, when the tiger 
 quits his lair in the jungles of Central Asia and 
 follows his prey towards the north, what power 
 withholds and whispers, "hitherto mayest thou 
 <c come, but no further," leaving the weary 
 miner of the Altai and the Urals to sleep in 
 peace ? What but the same invincible law of 
 temperature, a fiat of the Divine will, by which 
 He who formed the creatures, prescribed for 
 them the bounds of their habitation ! 
 
 Although man can bear, with comparative 
 impunity, the burning heat of the tropics, and 
 the intense cold of the frozen zone, he has not 
 yet succeeded in rendering animals cosmopolite : 
 the dog alone, among the vertebrata, is able to 
 accompany him in all his migrations. What- 
 ever may have been the changes which have 
 
 occurred 
 
 Laws of 
 Climate 
 
4 8 
 
 Geographical Distribution of 
 
 Stability of 
 Climate 
 
 Food Plants 
 
 occurred in distant geological ages, the climate 
 which we now enjoy has not undergone any 
 material alteration for the last three thousand 
 years. 
 
 Herodotus speaks of the Papyrus, the Syca- 
 more, the Lotus Plant, and the Date Palm, as 
 belonging to Egypt in his time ; and they are 
 still found there. The Doum Palm grew then 
 in the same district in which it is found now; 
 and the Bamboo, Cotton, Rice, Pepper, and 
 the Banyan Tree, were spoken of by the 
 antients as characteristic plants of India, and 
 so they are still. Myrrh and Balsam were 
 then, as now, characteristic plants of Arabia; 
 and Olives, identical with those still growing 
 in the same country, have been found buried 
 in Pompeii. 
 
 Those Plants which contain a sufficiency of 
 starch to furnish an essential article of food for 
 man are the most important; and, from the 
 
 earliest 
 
Material Wealth. 
 
 49 
 
 earliest ages, the progress of civilization has 
 been most intimately connected with agricul- 
 tural pursuits. The climatal lines which 
 limit the profitable production of some of the 
 bread-producing plants, are traced in colours 
 on the map. These form two great classes: 
 the tropical, comprising Rice, Plantain, Yam, 
 Sweet Potato, Arrow-root, Cassava, Bread 
 Fruit, Sago, Coco-nut, and Date; and the ex- 
 tra tropical, Wheat, Rye, Barley, Oats, Buck- 
 wheat, and Potato; Maize being common to 
 both. Rice supports the greatest number of 
 human beings; next to it come Wheat and 
 Maize, then Rye, Barley, and Oats. In 
 temperate climates, Maize yields 80 to 100, 
 but in the torrid zone, 300 to 400 fold. The 
 north polar limit of grains attains its highest 
 point in Scandinavia, where, thanks to the in- 
 fluence of the Gulf Stream, it rises nearly to 
 the North Cape ; it gradually declines to the 
 
 east, 
 
 Plants of 
 
 Tropical and 
 
 Temperate 
 
 Climates 
 
5 
 
 Limit of 
 Grains 
 
 Limits of 
 Wheat 
 
 Geographical Distribution of 
 
 east, and only touches the south point of 
 Kamtschatka. In America, the Cold Arctic 
 Current carries the line far south on the east 
 coast ; but it rises to near the parallel of 60 
 on the west. The northern limit of Wheat 
 follows nearly the same curve, except in the 
 west, where it falls to the south in crossing 
 the Rocky Mountains. 
 
 CEREAL GRAINS. Wheat is the most im- 
 portant of all the Cereal Grains, not only 
 from the extent of land it occupies in agri- 
 culture, but also from the excellent nourish- 
 ment it affords to man in the form of bread, 
 in a great part of the Old and New World. 
 The north polar limit of Wheat, as shewn 
 on the map, is, in Great Britain, about lat. 
 58 north; in Norway, 64; Sweden, 62; 
 and the west of Russia, 60 30'; but it 
 is very little cultivated beyond the 6oth 
 
 parallel, 
 
Material Wealth. 
 
 parallel, and it gradually falls off towards the 
 east. 
 
 In North America, the line of its cultivation 
 extends from lat. 46 on the Atlantic, to 
 lat. 51 on the Pacific side. In inter- tropical 
 America, it grows well at 8000 feet above the 
 sea ; it grows luxuriantly in the Andes of 
 Peru and Chili at 10,000 feet; and it produces 
 grain on the banks of Lake Titicaca in Bo- 
 livia, at 12,000 feet, in sheltered situations.* 
 Since 1760, the produce of Wheat crops in 
 England has been quadrupled, and in Scotland 
 the increase has been ten-fold since 1780. 
 Robertson in his " Rural Recollections," says, 
 cc that, in 1727, a field of eight acres of Wheat, 
 " grown in the vicinity of Edinburgh, excited 
 " the greatest curiosity." 
 
 The amount of Wheat consumed in this 
 
 country 
 
 * Wheat has been grown in the Madras Presidency in latitude 13 north, 
 at an elevation of 20 feet above the sea. It is excellent in Tasmania. 
 
 Altitude at 
 
 which Wheat 
 
 grows 
 
 Increased 
 Produce 
 
 E 2 
 
52 Geographical Distribution of 
 
 Barley 
 
 Rye 
 
 country is estimated at about one-quarter an- 
 nually for each individual, young and old. 
 In 1858, the consumption was 16,000,000 
 quarters. 
 
 Barley is grown to the utmost limit of grain 
 culture in Europe, Asia, and America ; in 
 Lapland it extends to 70 north ; in Russia to 
 68; and in America to 58. From the north 
 of Scotland it extends to the Shetland Isles. It 
 grows in the Faroe Islands, where, however, it 
 seldom ripens, and does not grow in Iceland. 
 Barley grows at an elevation of 3500 feet in 
 the Alps; 12,000 feet in Bolivia; and the 
 same in the Himalayas. The annual con- 
 sumption in Britain is 6,000,000 quarters. 
 
 Rye is extensively cultivated in poor soils 
 in Russia, Germany, and parts of France; and 
 it furnishes the bread of one-third of the popu- 
 lation of Europe : its northern limits are, in 
 Sweden, Jat. 66, and in Norway 67 north. 
 
 Oats 
 
Material Wealth. 
 
 53 
 
 Oats are cultivated to the extreme north of 
 Scotland in lat. 58 40'; in Norway to 65; 
 and in Sweden to 63 ; its cultivation extends 
 to the north of Germany and France, but not 
 far south of the latitude of Paris. In North 
 America, Oats are grown to the extreme 
 Polar limits of grain, but not in South 
 America. The Oat succeeds in elevated 
 spots in Bengal, to the parallel of 25 north ; 
 and, with Wheat, it has been introduced into 
 Australia, Tasmania, and New Zealand. 
 
 Rice is the chief grain in Eastern and 
 Southern Asia, and the Asiatic Archipelago, 
 where it forms the universal food of the 
 people ; it grows also in tropical Africa, 
 Egypt, Nubia, Persia, Arabia, and Asia 
 Minor. It is cultivated in Greece and parts 
 of Italy and Spain ; in the southern States 
 of North America, West Indies, Venezuela, 
 and Brazil. 
 
 Maize 
 
 Oats 
 
 Rice 
 
54 
 
 Geographical Distribution of 
 
 Maize 
 
 Plantair 
 
 Bread Fruit 
 
 Maize is the most extensively diffused grain 
 in America, where it is grown from the south 
 extremity of Chili to lat. 40 in the north. 
 It was brought to Europe by Columbus in 
 1493, and made its way to the Levant, India, 
 China, Japan, the Philippines, &c. It was in- 
 troduced to Guinea by the Portuguese in the 
 sixteenth century. 
 
 BREAD FRUIT. The Plantain forms half 
 the food of the people of New Granada ; 
 and it is calculated that ground yielding 
 wheat for the sustenance of one man, would 
 grow Plantains for twenty-five men. The 
 Bread-fruit tree yields fresh fruit for eight 
 or nine months in the year; and it is esti- 
 mated that three trees are sufficient to feed 
 one human being. Captain Cook says, " if 
 " an inhabitant of the South Sea Islands has 
 <c planted ten Bread-fruit trees, he has not only 
 
 " provided 
 
Material Wealth. 
 
 55 
 
 cc provided bread for his own life, but left to 
 " his children a capital in trees." In the 
 islands of the Indian Archipelago, where Sago 
 grows wild in the woods, the native cuts down 
 the tree, scrapes out the pith, and when it is 
 mixed with water and strained, the Sago meal 
 is ready for use.* But, this superabundance of 
 nature's gifts, this facility for obtaining the 
 staff of life, lessens the energy of man and re- 
 tards his progress. There is a native saying 
 
 to 
 
 * " A good sized Sago-palm will give 1800 cakes of three to the pound, 
 " of which five are the ordinary quantity consumed by a man in a day. 
 " Hence a single tree may be considered equal to the support of a man 
 " throughout the year. The labour to prepare the food is as follows : 
 " Two men, working moderately, will finish a tree in five days, and 
 " two women will bake the whole in about five days more ; sowemayesti- 
 " mate that, with ten days labour, a man may produce food for a whole 
 " year. That is, if he possess trees of his own ; for all the Sago-palms are 
 " become private property, and cost about 9*. each. Again, the cost of 
 " labour being 4^. a day, and the cost of the tree 9*., the expense of the 
 " year's food for a man is only 12*." A. Russel Wallace, F.R.G.S., Pro- 
 ceedings Roy. Geog. Soc., Jan. 1862. 
 
 Sago 
 
 Effeas of 
 
 abundance 
 
56 
 
 Geographical Distribution of 
 
 
 to the effecT:, "that New Granada would be 
 
 
 cc something if we could exterminate the Plan- 
 
 
 " tain and the Cane, the parents of idleness and 
 
 
 " intemperance."* It is in the temperate re- 
 
 
 gions where he is doomed to a continual, but 
 
 
 not exhaustive, struggle with nature that man 
 
 
 has made the greatest advances in civiliza- 
 
 
 tion. 
 
 Sugar 
 
 The SUGAR CANE is a native of the tropical 
 
 
 zone, originating in the East Indies or China, 
 
 
 but now extensively cultivated in both hemi- 
 
 
 spheres, in eastern Asia to lat. 30, and in 
 
 
 North America, as far as lat. 32 north, while 
 
 
 in Spain, it grows in gardens to lat. 38 north. 
 
 
 In Nepaul it succeeds at an elevation of 4000, 
 
 
 and in the Cordilleras of South America 5000 
 
 
 feet above the sea. Sugar was not known to 
 
 
 the 
 
 
 * Helton's History of New Granada. 
 
Material Wealth. 57 
 
 the Greeks and Romans ; it was cultivated in 
 India from the earliest period, and was taken 
 from Arabia to Europe before the time of the 
 Crusades. The Moors introduced it into 
 Spain, and thence it was conveyed, in the 
 fifteenth century, to Madeira and the Canaries. 
 West India Sugar was first cultivated at the 
 beginning of the sixteenth century, at which 
 time it was extensively grown in Mexico and 
 in Portuguese Brazil. In the seventeenth 
 century, it was taken by the English colonists 
 to Barbadoes and Jamaica, and by the French 
 to Guadeloupe, Martinique, the Mauritius, 
 and Bourbon. At present, the cane is grown 
 in, and Sugar exported from, the West Indies, 
 Guiana, and Brazil, in the New World; the 
 Mauritius, Bourbon and the gold coast in 
 Africa; and Bengal, Siam, Java, the Philip- 
 pines, and China, in Asia. 
 
 The Sugar maple tree, which grows abun- 
 dantly 
 
Geographical Distribution of 
 
 Maple Sugar 
 
 Beet-root 
 Sugar 
 
 dantly in the northern States of America and 
 in Canada, yields, in spring, a large amount 
 of sap, from which Sugar is prepared by 
 boiling. Although extensively used, its en- 
 tire product is not more than one- eighth of 
 that of the Sugar cane. It yields only 2i, 
 while the cane yields 12 to 16 per cent, of 
 saccharine matter. 
 
 The discovery that Sugar could be manufac- 
 tured from the juice of the beet- root was made, 
 about a century ago, by the chemist Achard, 
 at the instance of Frederick the Great; but he 
 could only produce 2 per cent, of saccharine 
 matter, and even that so bad as to be unfit 
 for use. The attempt was, for political pur- 
 poses, renewed, under Napoleon I., in 1809; 
 and in 1810, there were 200 beet-root manu- 
 factories in France, yielding 2,000,000 Ibs. of 
 Sugar. Its cultivation has since extended into 
 Belgium, the States of the Germanic Confe- 
 deration, 
 
Material Wealth. 
 
 59 
 
 deration, and Russia. Instead of 2 per cent., as 
 at first, the beet now yields from 10 to 14 per 
 cent, of saccharine matter ; and so rapid has 
 been its increase, that, in 1858, France pro- 
 duced 1 50,000 tons of beet-root Sugar. Yet, 
 half a century ago, this interesting branch of 
 industry was deemed a chimera. 
 
 In the year 1700, the quantity of Sugar 
 consumed in Britain was estimated at 10,000 
 tons. In 1858, our consumption was 437,000 
 tons, the United States 200,000, and Russia 
 60,000 tons. 
 
 M c Culloch estimates that, in 1858, the en- 
 tire produce was, cane Sugar, 1,250,000 tons; 
 beet Sugar, 230,000 tons. Assuming the 
 whole, in round numbers, at 1,500,000 tons, 
 the money paid every year for this important 
 article of consumption by the people of 
 Europe and the United States would be equal 
 to 52,920,000 sterling. 
 
 The 
 
 Consumption 
 of Sugar 
 
6o 
 
 Coffee 
 
 Coffee Tree 
 
 Geographical Distribution of 
 
 The COFFEE shrub grows within the tropics 
 under a temperature of 55 to 70 Fah. ; it was 
 formerly believed to be a native of Yemen, in 
 Arabia Felix, but it has been recently traced 
 to the woods of Kaffa and Enarea, south of 
 Abyssinia, where it grows in a wild as well as 
 in a cultivated state. Coffee was not known, 
 as a beverage, to the Greeks and Romans ; it 
 is believed to have been first used in Yemen 
 about the middle of the fifteenth century. 
 Coffee-houses were opened at Constantinople 
 in 1554, in London in 1660, and in Paris in 
 1672. The Dutch, desirous of sharing in the 
 lucrative trade to which it gave rise, were the 
 first to cultivate Coffee in their colony of 
 Java. Some plants were sent to the Botanic 
 Garden of Amsterdam ; and, towards the end 
 of the reign of Louis XIV., one of them was 
 kept as a curiosity in the Royal Gardens of 
 Paris. From this, several plants were reared, 
 
 one 
 
Material Wealth. 
 
 61 
 
 one of which was carried by a sailor, named 
 Declieux, to the Island of Martinique ; and it 
 is asserted, that all the Coffee trees in the West 
 Indies and Brazil have been derived from this 
 single hot-house plant. 
 
 Little more than a century since, all the 
 Coffee in use was brought from Arabia, and 
 its consumption was estimated at 10,000 or 
 12,000 Ibs. In 1858, the annual consump- 
 tion for Britain alone was estimated at 
 16,000 tons; and for all Europe, North 
 America, and Australia, 291,000 tons. In 
 1807, the consumption of Coffee in Britain 
 was little more than 1,000,000 Ibs., whereas 
 in 1858 it was upwards of 35,000,000 Ibs. 
 
 The TEA shrub, which somewhat resembles 
 the Myrtle in form, grows naturally to a height 
 of from ten to twelve feet, but when cultivated, 
 it is kept down to about half that height. It 
 
 will 
 
 Tea 
 
62 
 
 Limits of the 
 Tea Plant 
 
 Black and 
 Green Teas 
 
 Geographical Distribution of 
 
 will not thrive within the torrid zone, its ex- 
 treme range of growth being between Eastern 
 China and the River Bramapootra, lat. 15 to 
 40 north; but its profitable cultivation is 
 limited to the zone between 25 and 33 north, 
 with a mean temperature of 61 to 72 Fah. 
 On the east its cultivation is arrested by the 
 Southern Ocean, and on the west it does 
 not extend beyond the borders of Tibet. The 
 plant is indigenous only in China and in As- 
 sam, on its borders, where it grows at an eleva- 
 tion of 2000 to 4000 feet. Its cultivation is 
 successful in Java, Singapore, Penang, and 
 Malacca, as well as in the Himalayas and the 
 north-west provinces of India. It grows well in 
 South America, but, commercially, its produce 
 cannot compete with that of China. It has 
 been tried in Algeria, but fails, on account of 
 the high temperature. Mr Fortune says there 
 are two species of the Tea plant, the Thea 
 
 bohea 
 
Material Wealth. 
 
 bohea, which grows in the southern provinces 
 of China, and Thea viridis, which grows only 
 in the northern provinces. 
 
 There are several great commercial lines for 
 Tea from China : u/, by sea, chiefly, and, 
 till of late years, almost exclusively, from 
 Canton to Europe, North America, and 
 partly to India, and the East India islands ; 
 the chief traders being the British, the Dutch, 
 and North Americans. The overland routes 
 for Tea are (i) north, through the Gobi 
 desert to Siberia, and partly to Europe, which 
 is conducted in caravans of 200 to 250 
 loaded camels ; (2) westwards from the south- 
 west provinces of China to Mongolia, Bok- 
 hara, and Persia; (3) towards Tibet, Nepaul, 
 and Botan; (4) southwards to Ava, Cochin 
 China, and Burma. 
 
 Tea is largely consumed by the nomadic 
 tribes of Northern and Central Asia; but it 
 
 is 
 
 Conveyance 
 of Tea 
 
64 
 
 Geographical Distribution of 
 
 Poem in praise 
 of Tea 
 
 Tea in 
 England 
 
 is pre-eminently the national beverage of 
 China and Japan. The Chinese Emperor, 
 Kien Lun, made a poem in praise of Tea, 
 which was much admired. After describing 
 its preparation, he says, " drink then slow- 
 " ly this delicious beverage and thou wilt be- 
 " come strong against the five cares which 
 cc commonly disturb the spirits. The sweet 
 cc calm which is obtained from a drink thus 
 cc prepared, may be tasted, felt, but not de- 
 " scribed." 
 
 Tea was not known in Europe till the 
 seventeenth century ; it was first used in 
 Russia and Holland, and appears not to 
 have been introduced into England till about 
 the middle of the century. Pepys, in his Diary, 
 1 66 1, says, cc I sent for a cup of Tea, which I 
 cc had never drunk before." In 1664, the 
 East India Company made a present to the 
 king, Charles II., of two pounds of Tea; after 
 
 this 
 
Material Wealth. 
 
 this time it was sold at sixty shillings a pound 
 weight. 
 
 The late rise and present extent of the 
 British Tea trade are among the greatest mar- 
 vels in the history of commerce. In the 
 year 1800, the consumption in Great Britain 
 was under 3,000,000 Ibs. ; in 1859, u p wai "ds 
 of 75,000,000 Ibs. Assuming the average 
 annual amount of Tea consumed in the 
 United Kingdom at 70,000,000 Ibs., the cost 
 to consumers is, according to M c Culloch, 
 10,855,000 sterling. 
 
 The Mate or Paraguay Tea is a species of 
 holly, growing in the forests of Paraguay, 
 Uruguay, and Brazil, the leaves of which are 
 used like Tea universally in the eastern states 
 of South America. It is imbibed through tubes 
 having a bulb perforated with small holes. 
 
 The VINE grows spontaneously in all the 
 
 lower 
 
 Tea Trade 
 
 Mate 
 
 The Vine 
 
66 
 
 Geographical Distribution of 
 
 The Vine 
 
 Limits of the 
 Vine 
 
 lower regions of the Caucasus in the north, and 
 especially in the south of the chain, in Ar- 
 menia, and on the south of the Caspian. This 
 is the native region of the species. It thrives 
 well in all the temperate countries of Western 
 Asia, especially in Cabul, Cashmere, and Kuna- 
 war. From Asia it passed into Greece, and 
 thence into Sicily. The Phocaens carried it 
 to the south of France, and the Romans planted 
 it on the banks of the Rhine. The grape is 
 cultivated as an article of husbandry from lat. 
 21 to 50 north, over a zone of about 2000 
 miles in breadth: from the shores of Portugal 
 to the borders of China. Farther north it does 
 not ripen sufficiently to make wine, and farther 
 south it is injured by excessive heat. The 
 best wines are made near the centre of the 
 zone. 
 
 The actual limits of the Vine, grown for 
 making wine, extend from Portugal through 
 
 France 
 
Material Wealth. 
 
 France to the south of Bretagne, in lat. 47 30' 
 north. A small quantity of wine is made, ex- 
 ceptionally, in Jersey. 
 
 In the west and part of the centre of France, 
 the elevation of the soil renders the climate too 
 severe for the Vine. In Belgium it is arrested 
 on the Meuse, lat. 50 45' north; in Prussia it 
 reaches only to Potsdam ; and in Saxony it ex- 
 tends to Meissen and the borders of the Elbe 
 near Dresden, in lat. 51 15' north. There are 
 extensive vineyards in Bohemia and Hungary; 
 the chains of the Riesengebirge and the Car- 
 pathians fix the limits in this part of Europe, 
 in lat. 48; thence it passes into the Bukowina; 
 but Galicia has no Vines. In Russia, the Vine 
 is first met with at Mohilev, on the Dniester, 
 Jat. 48. On the Bug, the line descends to lat. 
 47. The Vine is largely cultivated at Tcher- 
 kask; on the Wolga, it is grown at Sarepta, 
 lat. 48 21'. In Central Asia, the Vine is 
 
 grown 
 
 F 2 
 
68 
 
 Vine in 
 America 
 
 Geographical Distribution of 
 
 grown at Kamil, lat. 43; and at Lassa, in 
 Tibet, in lat. 29 41'. The elevation and ex- 
 tent of the mountains of Central Asia present 
 an obstacle to its extension northwards; in 
 China, it is grown at Pekin. In the Central 
 States of North America all attempts to cul- 
 tivate the Vine of Europe ( Vitis vim/era) have 
 failed, and an American Vine, which grows 
 there spontaneously, is adopted. The more 
 favourable climate of New Mexico and Cali- 
 fornia permits the growth of the ordinary Vine, 
 which is now extensively and profitably culti- 
 vated. In the southern hemisphere, the Vine 
 grows in Chili, and produces excellent wine, 
 on. the east of the Andes, at Mendoza and 
 San Juan. The wine of the Cape colony is, 
 partly, of the finest quality; that of New 
 South Wales resembles the produce of the 
 Loire; the climate of Tasmania is too humid 
 for its culture. 
 
 The 
 
Material Wealth. 
 
 6 9 
 
 The' limits of the present culture of the Vine 
 are marked by a line, coloured blue on the 
 map ; but in so far as refers to the west of 
 Europe (Normandy and England), this line is 
 exceptional, the boundary there being deter- 
 mined by economical and commercial, rather 
 than by climatal laws. The Vine was grown 
 in England, in vineyards and gardens, during 
 the early part of the twelfth century, and, 
 according to William of Malmesbury, the 
 grapes of the Vale of Gloucester produced a 
 palatable wine, little inferior to that of France. 
 Doomsday book, and several other authorities, 
 attest the fad, that most of the large castles 
 and monasteries of England had vineyards 
 attached to them ; and numerous charters from 
 the ninth to the thirteenth century prove the 
 cultivation of the Vine in Normandy, Bretagne, 
 and Picardy. But the grapes grown in these 
 countries are believed to have produced only a 
 
 small 
 
 The Vine in 
 England 
 
yo 
 
 Geographical Distribution of 
 
 Cause of its 
 abandonment 
 
 small and uncertain quantity of acid wine, of 
 which the best that could be said was, that fc it 
 " was not always detestable." The chief 
 causes which led to the abandonment of the 
 Vine culture in England and Normandy were 
 the opening up of routes for the importation 
 of foreign wines, the improvement of taste 
 consequent on the introduction of Tea, Coffee, 
 and Sugar ; the improved growth of grain, and 
 the culture of the hop, which introduced a 
 cheaper and more wholesome beverage. These 
 reasons are sufficient to account for the change 
 without resorting to the exploded opinion of 
 Arago, that it resulted from a change of cli- 
 mate. The ready means of transit provided 
 by railways appear, according to De Can- 
 dole, to be causing at present the actual limits 
 of the Vine culture to recede still farther 
 from the north-west towards the centre of 
 Europe. 
 
 Green 
 
Material Wealth. 
 
 Green grapes are extensively imported from 
 Lisbon and Malaga : the currants of commerce 
 (Corinth grapes) come from the Ionian Islands, 
 of which they are the staple, and from the 
 Morea. On an average of three years, the an- 
 nual import is 419,846 cwt., yielding a revenue 
 of 330,000 sterling. Dried grapes, or raisins, 
 from Spain, Turkey, and Austrian Italy, were 
 imported in 1858, to the extent of 357,485 
 cwt. 
 
 COTTON. Of all substances furnished by the 
 Vegetable Kingdom, not used for food, Cotton 
 is the most valuable. Supplying, as it does, 
 one of the primary wants of humanity, it plays 
 an important part in the world's commerce, 
 whether considered in relation to the thousands 
 of vessels constantly engaged in its transport, 
 or the number of people, estimated at three 
 millions, to whom it gives employment. On 
 
 account 
 
 Grapes and 
 Currants 
 
 Cotton 
 
Geographical Distribution of 
 
 Vaiieties of 
 Cotton 
 
 account of its abundance, its cheapness, and 
 the facility with which it can be spun and 
 woven, it has in great part replaced linen, silk, 
 and wool. Its commercial value is such, that, 
 till lately, it formed one half, in value, of all the 
 exports from the United States of America. 
 The Cotton of commerce is a sort of vegetable 
 wool, forming an envelope to the seeds of a 
 kind of plant of which there are many varieties, 
 some annual and others perennial : i . The Her- 
 baceous, which grows in Egypt, Persia, and 
 India, and has been propagated in the islands 
 of the Mediterranean, Naples, and the South 
 of Spain. Some of its varieties are cultivated in 
 the States of North America. 2. The Shrub 
 Cotton, which grows spontaneously in the tro- 
 pical regions of Asia, Africa, and America. 3. 
 The Cotton Tree, which grows to a height of 
 15 or 20 feet in India, Arabia, and Egypt, 
 whence it has been transplanted to the Canary 
 
 Islands 
 
Material Wealth. 
 
 73 
 
 Islands and America ; it is found, also, on the 
 west coast of Africa and in the interior of 
 China. In America, Cotton requires a dry 
 sandy soil, and salt appears to improve its 
 quality, since the finest in the world is grown 
 in the low islands on the coast of South Carolina, 
 Georgia, and Florida, where the rain which falls 
 is strongly impregnated with salt. In India, 
 Cotton flourishes in a moist retentive soil, and 
 showers of rain, impregnated with salt, during a 
 certain period of the growth of the plant, im- 
 proves the quality of the Cotton wool. This 
 fact may account for the success of a very 
 recent experiment in the Sunderbunds at the 
 mouth of the Ganges. Sea-island, or Black- 
 seed Cotton, appears to have come originally 
 from Persia, although the seed used for its 
 earliest cultivation, in 1786, came from the 
 Bahamas, to which it had been conveyed from 
 the small island of Anguilla in the Caribbean 
 
 Sea 
 
 American 
 Cotton 
 
74 
 
 Geographical Distribution of 
 
 Cotton 
 
 Manufafture 
 
 Sea. The first harvest of American Cotton, 
 grown between lat. 30 and 33 N., was gathered 
 in 1788, and in ten years it entirely replaced the 
 cultivation of Indigo. The first import of Cot- 
 ton was received from America in 1 7 90 ; and 
 thus the immense trade which has since sprung 
 up is of only seventy- two years' standing. " The 
 " rapid growth and prodigious magnitude of 
 " the Cotton manufacture of Great Britain are, 
 " beyond all question, the most extraordinary 
 " phenomena in the history of industry. Such 
 cc has been the influence of the stupendous dis- 
 " coveries and inventions of Hargreaves, Ark- 
 cc wright, Crompton, Cartwright and others, 
 " that we have overcome all difficulties ; that 
 " neither the extreme cheapness of labour in 
 " Hindostan, nor the excellence to which the 
 " natives have attained, has enabled them to 
 " withstand the competition of those who buy 
 " their Cotton; and who, after carrying it 
 
 cc 5000 
 
Material Wealth. 
 
 75 
 
 " 5000 miles to be manufactured, carry back 
 " the goods to them : this/' says M'Culloch, 
 " is the triumph of mechanical genius."* On 
 the average of five years, 1700 to 1705, the 
 total quantity of Cotton wool imported into 
 Britain was estimated at little more than one 
 million of pounds weight ( i , 1 70, 8 8 1 Ibs. ) In 
 1858, the import was 850,000,000 Ibs., value 
 about 1 8,700,000. The entire value of Cot- 
 ton goods manufactured in Britain on the ac- 
 cession of George III., in 1760, was estimated 
 at only 200,000 a year, while in 1857-8, 
 the annual value was 52,000,000 ster- 
 ling. M'Culloch estimates that 1,200,000 
 people owe their subsistence to the manufac- 
 ture of Cotton ; and that the aggregate annual 
 amount of wages paid is probably 8,000,000 
 sterling. 
 
 So 
 
 Imports of 
 Cotton 
 
 * M'CulIoch's Commercial Di&ionary. 
 
7 6 
 
 Geographical Distribution of 
 
 Importance of 
 the Cotton 
 Trade 
 
 Indian Cotton 
 
 So vast are the interests involved in the 
 Cotton trade, that it is said a shortcoming of 
 1,000,000 bales of raw material would lessen 
 Great Britain's earnings by 20,000,000 
 sterling. 
 
 Last year, the Marquis of Tweeddale, late 
 Governor and Commander-in-Chief of the 
 Madras Presidency, drew the attention of the 
 House of Lords to this important national 
 question, and gave it as his opinion, that if 
 the merchants of England would create a 
 market for the raw produce of India, they 
 would, in turn, find an ample demand in 
 that great country for articles of English 
 manufacture, which the natives now cannot 
 afford to purchase. 
 
 Sixteen years ago, when the question of 
 Cotton supply from India was under con- 
 sideration of the Government in that country, 
 this patriotic nobleman, foreseeing the diffi- 
 culty 
 
Material Wealth. 
 
 77 
 
 culty which might occur in the event of a 
 short supply of Cotton from the Southern 
 States of America, and knowing how slowly 
 improvements are effected by Agricultur- 
 ists, even to meet a profitable demand for 
 any particular commodity, brought his ex- 
 tensive practical knowledge so to bear on 
 the cultivation of Cotton in India, that, 
 had his suggestions been followed out, we 
 should, long ere now, have known to what 
 extent we might depend on a supply of 
 Cotton from India or elsewhere to meet the 
 present deficiency. 
 
 His Lordship shewed that there are many 
 inducements to improve the indigenous Cot- 
 ton, which from time immemorial has clothed 
 the whole population of India. Its indigenous 
 character enables it, above all other varieties of 
 Cotton, to bear without deterioration those in- 
 fluences which are destructive to the exotic 
 
 species 
 
Geographical Distribution of 
 
 Its increase 
 
 species ; and, being an annual, the native culti- 
 vator, as soon as the boles are gathered, pre- 
 pares the land for a new crop, which he reaps 
 and markets within the year. He attributes 
 the deterioration in quality of the exotic Cot- 
 ton wool to the change of climate and the 
 want of those elements which are so abun- 
 dantly supplied in the Cotton fields of America, 
 where it is grown in such perfection. 
 
 The growth of Cotton in India is already 
 nearly double that of the Southern States of 
 America, and is rapidly increasing.* 
 
 In 
 
 * This is shewn by a return of the exports from Bombay ; the 
 Average of 13 years, ending 1846*, 117,303,312 Ibs. 
 ,,13 1859*, 187,000,000 
 a i86i<r, 344,736,800 
 
 shewing an increase of 60 percent, in the second period over the first; 
 of 85 per cent, in the last ten years over the second period of 13 years, 
 or 145 per cent, over the first period, (a.) Chapman's Cotton Com- 
 merce of India, p. 28. (.) Mann's Cotton Trade. (<:.) Bombay Price 
 Current. 
 
Material Wealth. 
 
 79 
 
 In 1846, the average annual import from 
 Bombay was 117,000,000 Ibs., while in 1861, 
 it was 344,000,000 Ibs. ; thus exceeding the 
 whole consumption of Great Britain in 1 834, 
 which was then only about 303,000,000 Ibs. 
 
 This increase proves that, under every dis- 
 advantage, India has been able to compete, in 
 point of price, with every other country ; while 
 means are in operation which will gradually 
 improve its quality.* Every encouragement is 
 now held out to native industry. A Cotton 
 Agency has been formed with a large capital ; 
 and steam communication, by land and water, 
 is daily diminishing the difficulty of trans- 
 port. Government voted eleven lacs of rupees 
 (100,000) to be expended in opening -the 
 River Godavery, in the three years, 1861 to 
 
 1864, 
 
 * " The quality of some of the Cotton grown in India is even now 
 " nearly equal to that of New Orleans." Dr Forbes Watwn. 
 
 Cotton 
 Agency 
 
8o Material Wealth. 
 
 1 864 ; and when this great artery is opened, the 
 expense of carriage will be reduced from 2! d. 
 to 3-8 ths of a penny per ton, per mile. While 
 it is to India, then, that we must look for im- 
 mediate aid, the Cotton Supply Association of 
 Manchester are wisely distributing seed to all 
 parts of the globe ; and we shall soon have 
 competitors from Western Africa, Algeria, 
 Natal, Queensland, and the Sandwich Islands. 
 
 'The 
 
The Animal Kingdom 
 
 HUNTING and Fishing are 
 the occupations of man in the 
 earliest stages of society; for the 
 coverings of animals are as neces- 
 sary to him for clothing as the 
 flesh is for subsistence. The 
 most civilized nations derive a 
 
 great 
 
82 
 
 Geographical Distribution of 
 
 Wool 
 
 Silk 
 
 Furs and Skins 
 
 Tallow 
 
 Horns and 
 Hides 
 
 great part of their food from animals; while 
 they employ their skins, wool, and silk, as 
 materials for dress. An important branch 
 of industry and commerce is thus derived from 
 the Animal Kingdom. Wool is imported from 
 Spain, Germany, Northern India, Iceland, and 
 Australia; silk from Italy, Bengal, and China; 
 hides from South America, the North of 
 Europe, the East Indies, and the Cape of 
 Good Hope ; furs and skins from North 
 America and Siberia. And for dyeing these 
 substances, cochineal and lac, the products of 
 insects, are imported from Mexico and the 
 East Indies. The fatty portions of animals 
 are employed for producing light ; and tallow 
 is largely imported from 'Russia, India, and 
 Australia. Horns are manufactured into 
 various implements and ornaments ; and the 
 parings of horns, hides, and hoofs, are boiled 
 down into gelatine and glue. The bones of 
 
 animals 
 
Material Wealth. 
 
 animals, and the guano of birds, preserved in 
 rainless regions, are employed for manure. 
 Blood is used for food in poor countries, and, 
 in England and France, for sugar refining, and 
 the manufacture of Prussian blue. Every 
 portion of the globe furnishes its tribute to 
 this rich industry; but the Fur-bearing animals 
 of commerce are inhabitants, chiefly, of the 
 northern portions of the earth, and these com- 
 prise two separate provinces, i. The Asiatic, 
 including the whole of Siberia, with Kam- 
 tchatka, the district of the Amoor, and Man- 
 chooria. 2. The North American province, 
 including the Woodlands, the Savannahs, or 
 Prairie lands, and the cc Barren Grounds" of 
 the Polar Regions. 
 
 From continual hunting during two cen- 
 turies, the most valuable families of the fur- 
 bearers have greatly decreased in number, and 
 prices have increased in proportion. When the 
 
 Cossacs 
 
 G 2 
 
Geographical Distribution of 
 
 Furs 
 
 Cossacs conquered Kamtchatka, at the begin- 
 ning of the eighteenth century, Sables were so 
 plentiful, that half a dozen could be procured in 
 barter for a pocket-knife, and immense profits 
 were made by exchange ; but these times have 
 long since passed away. In the New World, the 
 Beaver and the Bison-rat formed at one time 
 the staple of the American trade ; but, in con- 
 sequence of silk being used in the manufacture 
 of hats, the hunting of the Beaver is now 
 almost abandoned. In the Eastern province, 
 the Ermine is the most valuable skin. It takes 
 its name from Armenia, whence it came origin- 
 ally ; its fine fur is always of a dazzling white 
 in winter, except the tip of the tail, which is 
 invariably black. It is the emblem of purity, 
 and is used to trim the robes of princes and 
 magistrates. The countries of Europe where 
 furs are most in demand, are, England, Rus- 
 sia, and France. The French are admitted to 
 
 be 
 
Material Wealth. 
 
 be the best furriers ; but the principal traders 
 in furs are the British, German, Danish, Rus- 
 sian, and American. 
 
 The fur trade was commenced by the 
 French at Quebec and Montreal. In 1670, 
 King Charles II. established the Hudson Bay 
 Company, with exclusive privileges for trading 
 with the Indians. There are besides, the 
 Russian- American Fur Company, whose field 
 of operations is the north-west of America ; 
 and the Danish and Greenland Company of 
 Copenhagen. The fairs of Frankfort and 
 Leipzig supply furs to the merchants of 
 Middle Europe ; but the extension of railways 
 is fast tending to diminish the importance of 
 these depots. 
 
 The pursuit of the Whale presents an ob- 
 ject of excitement little consonant with the 
 usually grave affairs of trade ; and its chase 
 and capture have been prosecuted by our 
 
 nautical 
 
 Whale 
 Fishery 
 
86 
 
 Whale's 
 Tongue a 
 Delicacy 
 
 Geographical Distribution of 
 
 nautical Nimrods, into the recesses of ocean, 
 with a spirit more akin to that of the hunts- 
 man in pursuit of the wolf or the wild boar. 
 Like him, too, they have succeeded in extir- 
 pating the object of their search, or, at least, 
 in driving it into nearly inaccessible retreats. 
 
 Whale fishing was practised on a small scale 
 in the ninth century, on the coasts of Nor- 
 way ; but this was not the true Whale, which 
 never leaves its haunts in the Arctic Seas. It 
 was the species of dolphin, called bottle-nose, 
 which alone reaches the seas of Europe. It 
 appears that the Biscayans were the first who 
 prosecuted the fishery as a commercial pursuit. 
 This they did with great activity during the 
 twelfth, thirteenth, and fourteenth centuries. 
 The Whales, though small, were very produc- 
 tive in oil, and their flesh was used for food ; 
 Whales' tongues being ranked among the deli- 
 cacies that adorned the table of the middle 
 
 ages. 
 
Material Wealth. 
 
 ages. The Whales became gradually scarce, 
 and finally extinct in the Bay of Biscay ; when 
 the French fishery ceased. 
 
 The attempts of the Dutch and English to 
 find a north-west passage led to the discovery 
 of the haunts of the Whale in the Greenland 
 seas. The Dutch soon outstripped all com- 
 petitors; and, in 1680, they employed 260 
 ships and 1400 men in the fishery. The 
 Americans commenced the Whale fishery in 
 1690, and have carried it on with greater 
 vigour and success than perhaps any other 
 people. In 1858, the American trade em- 
 ployed 600 ships, with an aggregate burden 
 of 198,593 tons. The Whale is the principal 
 object of the fishery; but the Walrus and the 
 Seal are extensively fished, or rather hunted, 
 on the borders of the icy sea. These amphi- 
 bious animals are so numerous, that the English 
 fishers killed more than 25,000 in one season ; 
 
 and, 
 
 Walrus and 
 Seal 
 
88 
 
 Geographical Distribution of 
 
 British and 
 Colonial 
 Fishery 
 
 and, in 1858, the Norwegians took 54,000 
 Seals from Spitzbergen. The French have 
 long since abandoned the northern fishery, and 
 the British have gradually withdrawn from it 
 since the abolition of premiums in 1822. In 
 1789, 161 Whale ships, aggregate burden 
 46,000 tons, left the ports of Great Britain for 
 the Arctic Regions. In 1834, there were 112 
 ships, but in 1842, there were only 18. In 
 1852, the number again increased to 46 ships; 
 but since then they have so greatly decreased 
 that the trade may be said to be virtually aban- 
 doned in Britain. But the British colonies 
 continue the fishery, especially for the Seal and 
 Walrus. Peterhead is now the principal port 
 for the northern Whale ships in Great Britain. 
 This year, steamers are sent from Dundee for 
 the Seal fishery ground at Belle Isle, and the 
 Whale fishery at the mouth of Hudson Strait. 
 The southern fishery is conducted in the In- 
 dian 
 
Material Wealth. 
 
 Southern 
 
 dian Ocean, on the coasts of Brazil and Pata- 
 
 Fishery 
 
 gonia, and south of Cape Horn, to lat. 62 
 south, and west of the Cape to the coast of 
 Chili, Peru, and California; also, on the west 
 and south of Africa, and south of the Cape of 
 Good Hope, to lat. 50 south and long. 47 
 east. This fishery, though more distant, is 
 less hazardous than that of the north. The 
 Rorqual, which is much smaller than the right 
 Whale, and yields an inferior oil, is found in 
 the Atlantic; and in the Pacific, the Black 
 Whale of the Americans is met with in great 
 abundance: its oil is less valuable than that of 
 the Rorqual. Both of these furnish whale- 
 bone. The Seal and Walrus abound on the 
 Pacific shores of North America, to the north 
 of California. The southern fishery is that 
 chiefly followed at present; and there are 
 several establishments in the British Colonies, 
 one of which, at Auckland, was commenced in 
 
 1847, 
 
9 
 
 Geographical Distribution of 
 
 The Whale 
 a Discoverer 
 
 1 847, with a capital of ^ 1 00,000. Nearly i oo 
 American ships, besides Dutch and French, 
 are engaged in the Whale fishery of the 
 Indian Ocean, which extends from Java Head 
 to Cape Leeuwin, a distance of 1600 miles; 
 and yields a revenue of 250,000 annually. 
 
 The Whale has rendered good service to 
 navigation, since it has allured the hardy sailor 
 from his own shores to the most distant seas 
 of the globe, and trained him to do battle 
 with the elements in every zone, from the 
 frozen shores of the Arctic to those of the 
 Antarctic pole. Each species of Whale in- 
 habits a belt of ocean more or less cold ; but 
 it is never found in the warm waters of the 
 Gulf Stream, a fact which led to the discovery 
 of that fc river in the ocean," and thus pointed 
 out the proper route between Europe and 
 America. It may, also, be said to have been 
 the first discoverer of the north-west passage ; 
 
 for 
 
Material Wealth. 
 
 for, Whales wounded on the Atlantic side of 
 America have been found on the Pacific side ; 
 and since they cannot cross the equator, on 
 account'^ of the high temperature, they must 
 have traversed open water to the north of 
 America. The extensive use of coal-gas, and 
 the increased importation of vegetable oils, 
 have caused the decrease of whale-oil to be 
 little felt ; while the introduction of gutta- 
 percha has, to a large extent, supplied the 
 deficiency of whale-bone. 
 
 The Cod is an ocean fish, found only in 
 northern seas, never in the Mediterranean. 
 Its native habitat is, probably, under the ice 
 of the north Polar Regions, whence it de- 
 scends every year to the northern waters of 
 Europe and America. The great resort of 
 the Cod is the banks of Newfoundland, and 
 the other sand-banks off Cape Breton, Nova 
 Scotia, and the New England States, to 
 
 which 
 
 9 T 
 
 The Cod 
 
Geographical Distribution of 
 
 which they are attracted by the vast number 
 of worms produced in the sandy bottoms. 
 Thence they return to the Polar Seas to 
 spawn in security ; but want of food compels 
 them to move south as soon as the waters are 
 open. Few are taken north of Iceland ; but 
 they abound on the south and south-west coasts, 
 as well as on the coasts of Norway, in the Bal- 
 tic, and off the Orkneys and Western Isles.* 
 
 The Cod decreases towards the south, and 
 disappears before reaching the mouth of the 
 Strait of Gibraltar. The Great Bank of New- 
 foundland has long been, and probably still is, 
 the principal seat of the distant Cod fishery. 
 The French, as proprietors of the coast of 
 Acadia, Cape Breton, the Gulf of St Law- 
 rence, and Newfoundland, had, for many 
 
 years 
 
 * Quite recently (1861), a new and most prolific fishing ground has 
 been discovered at the small islet of Rockall, in the Atlantic, 200 miles 
 west of StKilda. 
 
Material Wealth. 
 
 93 
 
 years, the most flourishing fishery in the 
 world; but, early in the eighteenth century, 
 these colonies passed into the hands of the 
 English ; and there now only remains to them 
 the small Islands of St Pierre and Miquelon, 
 which were restored by the treaties of 1 8 14-1 5. 
 In 1578, France had, on the banks of New- 
 foundland 150, Spain 1 20, Portugal 50, and 
 England only 30 or 40 vessels. But, during 
 the war in 1814, when the French were ex- 
 cluded, the produce of the English fishery 
 alone, on these banks, was valued at more 
 than ^2,800,000 sterling. Since then it has 
 rapidly declined; and now it hardly exists. 
 The Cod taken off the shores of Shetland and 
 the Western Isles is now mostly cured and 
 dried; but part of it is still taken fresh to 
 London, in welled vessels. Formerly, the 
 edges of the Dogger Bank, in the North 
 Sea, afforded the chief supplies of Cod ; and 
 
 the 
 
 French 
 Fishery 
 
94 
 
 Geographical Distribution of 
 
 The Herring 
 Fishery 
 
 the finest fish are still procured from the 
 Well Bank; but of late, London has been 
 supplied with Cod taken between Yarmouth 
 and the Nore; in consequence of the nearness 
 of which, the price is reduced 20 to 50 per 
 cent, below that of the period 1815-20. 
 
 The Herring Fishery is a branch of in- 
 dustry in which we in Scotland are specially 
 interested, whether considered as a training 
 school for our seamen, or a source of active 
 and profitable trade. 
 
 The home of the Herring is generally 
 believed to be within the Polar Seas, whence 
 it is described as coming every year in vast 
 shoals towards the south, along the coast of 
 North America, where the annual inundation 
 covers the shores of Chesapeake Bay and 
 extends to Carolina. The shoal is said to 
 advance along the eastern shore of the North 
 Sea to the English Channel, as far as the north 
 
 of 
 
Material Wealth. 
 
 95 
 
 of France. On the Pacific coast of Asia it is 
 found as far south as Kamtchatka. 
 
 According to this hypothesis, the Herring 
 remains for many months of winter within the 
 Arctic circle in order to recruit after spawning, 
 and to partake of the insect food, which is there 
 very abundant. The mighty host, it is said, 
 commences its migration in spring, the van- 
 guard appearing off the east coast of the Shet- 
 land and Orkney Islands in April and May, 
 followed by the main body in June. The 
 approach of the Herring is indicated by nu- 
 merous flocks of birds, which follow to prey 
 upon them. The shoal is divided into distinct 
 columns of 5 or 6 miles in length, and 3 or 4 
 in width. The water rises in ripples before 
 them ; and, in fine weather, they reflect a va- 
 riety of colours of the most splendid gem-like 
 appearance. On arriving off Shetland, accord- 
 ing to Pennant, one portion passes to the east 
 
 and 
 
 Supposed 
 Migration 
 of the 
 Herring 
 
9 6 
 
 Geographical Distribution of 
 
 and the other to the west of the British Isles, 
 where their numbers fill every creek and bay. 
 The former proceeds to Yarmouth, the great 
 and antient mart of Herrings; they then pass 
 through the English Channel and disappear. 
 Those which take to the westward, where the 
 chief stationary fishery is situated, proceed to 
 the north of Ireland, where they meet with a 
 second interruption, and are obliged to make a 
 second division : the one passing to the west, 
 where it is lost in the Atlantic, and the other 
 to the Irish Sea. cc This instindl," says Pen- 
 nant, " was given to the Herrings that they 
 cc might deposit their spawn in warmer seas, 
 <c that would nurture and vivify it more as- 
 " suredly than those of the frozen zone." cc It 
 " is not," he observes, " want of food that 
 " brings them to us, for they come full and 
 " fat, and return lean and wasted." Such was 
 the generally received opinion. But investi- 
 gations 
 
Material Wealth. 
 
 97 
 
 gations lately instituted have led to the convic- 
 tion, that the Herring does not migrate, but 
 only descends to a greater or less depth in the 
 water. The proofs are, that the spawn has 
 been found, by means of the diving-bell, at a 
 depth of 12 or 14 fathoms; that the fish is 
 taken at all seasons on the Caithness coast and 
 in Loch Fyne; and that there are known spe- 
 cific differences in the Herring taken from 
 the different fishing grounds. The principal 
 spawning season is in summer, when, in fa- 
 vourable localities, the Herring congregate in 
 shoals, rising to the surface and heading the 
 tide wavej; and it is when intently occupied in 
 the preservation of the species, regardless of in- 
 dividual safety, that they are taken by millions 
 in the many thousand miles of net spread to 
 ensnare them. The Netherlands government 
 has instituted inquiries among the fishermen to 
 collect observations for the construction of a 
 
 Herring 
 
 H 
 
 The Herring 
 not migratory 
 
Geographical Distribution of 
 
 Herring Chart, which, it is hoped, may throw 
 additional light on this interesting question. It 
 appears, from the experience of the Dutch, that 
 the best " take " occurs in places where the 
 surface of the sea has a temperature of 54 to 
 57 Fah. Above and, especially, below that 
 temperature, the " catch" rapidly declines. 
 
 The Herring was unknown to the antients, 
 being rarely, if ever, seen in the Mediterra- 
 
 Dutch nean. The Dutch lone; enjoyed a sort of mo- 
 Fishery ' 
 
 nopoly of the fishing, preparation, and sale of 
 Herring ; but, from the commencement of 
 the nineteenth century, the British have com- 
 pletely supplanted them, and have now the ex- 
 clusive means of supplying all the markets in 
 the world. This is owing to the circumstance, 
 that the Herring is more abundant on the shores 
 of Scotland than any other place, and to the 
 intelligent care bestowed on the regulation of 
 the fishery and the preparation of its products. 
 
 The 
 
Material Wealth, 
 
 99 
 
 The Herring fishery in Scotland, for the 
 summer season, begins towards the end of 
 July and finishes on joth September. The 
 autumn fishery begins in October, on the 
 coasts of England and France. The French 
 fish, during summer, in the open sea, three 
 miles from the shores of Scotland, the i Ork- 
 neys, and the Isle of Man ; and, . in autumn, 
 on the coasts of England and France. The 
 French Herring fishery employs, annually, 
 500 to 550 boats, with 7, 00 men; and the 
 produce is 140,000 to 150,000 barrels, all of 
 which are consumed in the country. 
 
 The British Herring fishery is the most im- 
 portant in the world. In 1857, an unfavour- 
 able year, the Scotch fishery alone, yielded 
 580,813 barrels. If the Yarmouth fishery be 
 added, it makes a total of 1,000,000 barrels. 
 Of these, 367,114 barrels were exported, 
 chiefly to Germany; the centre of the trade 
 
 being 
 
 H 2 
 
 The Scottish 
 Fishery 
 
 The French 
 Fishery 
 
 Value of 
 
 the British 
 
 Fishery 
 
IOO 
 
 Material Wealth. 
 
 being at Stettin, which received 128,603 bar- 
 rels. The Scotch fishery employs 1 1 ,000 to 
 12,000 boats, and about 45,000 fishermen, 
 besides an equal number of persons engaged in 
 cooperage and curing in all, upwards of 
 90,000 ; while the annual money value of 
 this interesting fishery amounts to at least 
 i ,000,000. 
 
 The Dutch fishery now hardly produces 
 40,000 barrels of Herring, 15,000 of which 
 are consumed in the country, and the rest are 
 exported. In 1847, Denmark sent 26,000 
 barrels of Herring to Stettin; in 1856, only 9. 
 Since 1860, there has been an increasing ten- 
 dency to open the markets of France, and other 
 Continental countries, to the trade in British 
 Herring, by a reduction of import duties. 
 
 The 
 
IO2 
 
 Tobacco 
 
 Introduction 
 of Tobacco 
 
 Geographical Distribution of 
 
 term the c< Curiosities of Commerce/' embrac- 
 ing, among other items, TOBACCO, GUANO, 
 GUTTA-PERCHA, ICE, and PETROLEUM ; all, 
 except the first, of recent introduction and 
 rapid development : these, however, we can 
 only shortly notice. 
 
 TOBACCO (Nicotiana Tabacum)^ so named 
 by the natives of the Antilles, (not from the 
 island of Tobago, as erroneously supposed,) is 
 a plant indigenous to America, where the 
 custom of smoking was common at the time 
 of the conquest. It is not certainly known by 
 whom it was introduced into Europe, where it 
 was first employed as a medicine, but soon 
 came into general use as a luxury, if not even 
 a necessary of life. In 1586, English settlers 
 returning from Virginia, where Raleigh at- 
 tempted to found a colony, brought To- 
 bacco and the practice of smoking with 
 
 them. 
 
Material Wealth. 
 
 103 
 
 them. Hence it spread to Holland, Spain, 
 Portugal, and France ; and afterwards to 
 Turkey, Persia, India, China, and Japan. 
 Considering that the plant has neither beauty 
 nor sweet odour to recommend it, that it 
 affords no edible fruit, and when eaten, pro- 
 duces nausea, vomiting, and giddiness, it 
 is wonderful that it should be used in any 
 other way than as a medicinal agent ; and 
 especially so, that it should become an import- 
 ant object of cultivation, manufacture, and 
 trade, employing thousands of persons, con- 
 sumed by millions, and yielding an immense 
 revenue. Like most novel customs, to which 
 tea was no exception, the use of Tobacco 
 experienced abuse and persecution. Smoking 
 was punished as a crime in many countries of 
 Europe when first introduced ; and in his 
 well-known diatribe, King James I. calls it " a 
 cc filthy novelty, a custom hateful to the nose, 
 
 " harmful 
 
104 
 
 Geographical Distribution of 
 
 Its extension 
 
 C harmful to the brain, and dangerous to the 
 " lungs." But the use of Tobacco for smoking, 
 chewing, and snuff-taking, prevailed over 
 eveiy obstacle, spreading itself to the extreme 
 confines of the Old World. It is now cul- 
 tivated almost universally, since it thrives not 
 only in the warmer, but even in the temperate 
 climates, as in France and North Germany ; 
 fiscal regulations being, probably, the only ob- 
 stacle to its cultivation, even in England. As 
 an instance of the caprice of fashion, it is note- 
 worthy that, in the reign of George III., smok- 
 ing was in England nearly superseded, among 
 the higher and middle classes, by snuff-taking. 
 The Tobacco of Virginia and Maryland is still 
 considered superior to that of Europe, the Le- 
 vant, or India. Cuba is celebrated for its ci- 
 gars. In 1789, duty was paid on 8,000,000 Ibs. 
 of Tobacco, imported into the United King- 
 dom ; and in 1852, the imports amounted to 
 
 23,944,968 Ibs. 
 
Material Wealth. 
 
 105 
 
 23,944,968 Ibs. Taking Denmark as a basis, 
 Schouw calculates, that considerably more than 
 one half the adult male population of Europe 
 are consumers of Tobacco. 
 
 GUANO. This important substance, which 
 only a few years since was introduced into 
 Europe, is already one of the chief objects of 
 the maritime commerce of civilized nations. 
 It is the result of the accumulation, during 
 untold ages, of the excrement and debris of 
 millions of birds, which congregate during 
 night on the islands and rocks of the South 
 Pacific and Atlantic Oceans. These constitute, 
 in some of the islands of the rainless regions, a 
 deposit so immense, that, according to the cal- 
 culations of Humboldt, supposing the surface 
 entirely covered with birds, they could not 
 deposit a layer of more than one centimetre 
 (little more than a third of an inch) in 
 
 dquity of 
 
 Guano 
 
 ness 
 
io6 
 
 Geographical Distribution of 
 
 Importance 
 
 of Guano 
 
 to Agriculture 
 
 ness during 300 years. Hence the deposits 
 actually excavated, carry us back to an anti- 
 quity so remote, that no chronology, no 
 admitted theory relative to the age of the 
 world, can give any idea of it. 
 
 Peru and Chili have owed their fertility to 
 Guano ever since the time of the Incas ; and 
 the example of these countries, together with 
 the discovery of abundant deposits, induced 
 European merchants to freight ships for its 
 importation. The speedy and profitable sale 
 of these cargoes, and the recognition of the in- 
 comparable benefit this material is capable of 
 rendering to agriculture, have given to the 
 trade a rapidly increasing importance. Besides 
 the famous Chincha Islands, off the coast of 
 Peru, in lat. 13 25' south, and the Lobos 
 Islands, 5 to 7 south, Guano is found in 
 greater or less abundance on the shores of 
 Venezuela, Bolivia, Chili, and Patagonia ; 
 
 but, 
 
Material Wealth. 
 
 107 
 
 but, beyond the rainless regions, its quality is 
 much depreciated, on account of the ammonia- 
 cal salts being partly or wholly washed away. 
 On the small island of Ichaboe, on the south- 
 west coast of Africa, the deposit of Guano is 
 exhausted ; but that of Sardinia, procured from 
 caves rilled with the excrement and remains of 
 bats, has found its way into the market ; and 
 similar deposits have been found in Algeria. 
 In the Jura Mountains of France, especially at 
 Auxelles, near Besan^on, caverns have been 
 discovered, where millions of bats have lived 
 and died during many centuries, whose remains 
 form accumulated heaps of valuable Guano; 
 so valuable, that it has been proposed to over- 
 come the difficulty of procuring it by widening 
 the entrances of the caves, and making roads 
 expressly for its conveyance. The supply of 
 Guano is estimated to last for only sixty or 
 seventy years, at the present rate of consump- 
 tion ; 
 
 Supply of 
 Guano 
 
io8 
 
 Geographical Distribution of 
 
 Gutta- Percha 
 and Caout- 
 chouc 
 
 tion; but, it is believed, that, on a further ex- 
 ploration, more deposits will yet be discovered. 
 
 GUTTA-PERCHA and CAOUTCHOUC have 
 nearly the same elementary constitution; and, 
 commercially, there is little distinction made 
 between them. The substance yielded, espe- 
 cially by the former, is a new product, and an 
 excellent acquisition, both for science and in- 
 dustry. The gigantic Gutta-Percha tree is 
 abundant in the Indian Archipelago, Borneo, 
 Sumatra, &c. ; but, till within a few years, the 
 valuable substance it supplies, had not attracted 
 the attention either of the traveller or the bo- 
 tanist. The Royal Society of London awarded 
 its gold medal to the discoverer of its pro- 
 perties. Caoutchouc is the milky juice of 
 several kinds of trees grown in tropical re- 
 gions ; and is chiefly imported from Para, in 
 Brazil. 
 
 ICE 
 
Material Wealth. 
 
 ICE and SNOW, from the caverns of Vesuvius 
 and Etna, have long been articles of trade in 
 South Italy, and the large demands of Paris 
 have been mostly supplied from Norway; but 
 it was only in 1833 that the Ice trade of North 
 America was extended to India. Cut into 
 blocks about twelve inches square, and packed 
 in sawdust, Ice is, to the amount of 1 2,000 
 tons a year, conveyed, with very little loss, and 
 in a state of beautiful transparency, to Calcutta, 
 where it is stored in an immense warehouse for 
 sale. So rapidly has the trade increased, that, in 
 1858, 1 60,000 tons were exported from Boston, 
 besides 20,000 or 30,000 tons from New York; 
 employing hundreds of ships in the transport. 
 
 PETROLEUM, ROCK. OIL, or BARBADOS TAR, 
 is a viscous liquid, or bituminous oil, which 
 springs from the soil in the Isle of Barbados, 
 Persia, Bakou (near the Caspian Sea), Ran- 
 goon, 
 
 109 
 
 Ice Trade 
 
 Petroleum 
 
I 10 
 
 Geographical Distribution of 
 
 Rock Oil 
 
 Oil Wells 
 
 goon, North America, and other countries. 
 The oil has probably been generated, by some 
 long process of nature, from the remains of ma- 
 rine animals and plants. It oozes from lime- 
 stone cliffs, or rises from the soil in natural or 
 artificial wells, at a high temperature ; and has 
 long been known in the vast palaeozoic basin 
 of North America, where it is found over a 
 region extending from Gaspe, in Canada East, 
 to Texas. In 1844, it was discovered in 
 Canada West; but it was only in 1857 that it 
 was sought after as an article of commerce; 
 when a company was formed and lands pur- 
 chased. The distillation of Asphalt, formerly 
 practised, was abandoned; wells were sunk, 
 from which, in 1860, from 600 to 800 gal- 
 lons of oil per diem were procured. It was, 
 at the same time, worked in Pennsylvania and 
 other States, and the " oil diggings" of the 
 North attracted crowds similar to those who 
 
 rushed 
 
Material Wealth. 
 
 1 1 1 
 
 rushed to the gold diggings of the West. In 
 1 86 1, upwards of 1000 oil wells were in active 
 operation in North America; and the oil, be- 
 sides being largely used in the United States, 
 is exported to Europe. 
 
 CONCLUSION. 
 
 Such is a rapid enumeration of some of 
 the more important commodities which an All- 
 bountiful Creator has treasured up for the 
 use and enjoyment of his creatures ; and such, 
 in rough outline, the field on which they are 
 displayed. The history of commercial enter- 
 prise explains the means man has adopted to 
 avail himself of the rich gift, to serve himself 
 heir to the wealth of a world. The true end ob J eft of 
 
 Commerce 
 
 of ccrmmerce is not, as is often stated, "to 
 " buy in the cheapest and sell in the dearest 
 " market possible," which is rather the object 
 of speculation ; but, by means of exchange, to 
 
 supply 
 
I 12 
 
 Barter 
 
 Geographical Distribution of 
 
 supply out of the superabundance of one 
 country what is wanted by another, for the 
 benefit of both. 
 
 Commerce may be said to be born with 
 man ; exchange is everywhere the rule among 
 the rudest savages as among the most civilized 
 states. In the barbarous ages, men exchanged 
 cattle for every kind of goods ; afterwards salt 
 in Abyssinia, shells in Africa and India, grains 
 of cacao in Mexico ; and, more recently, hides, 
 in Russia, were the usual media of commerce 
 and exchange. The first mention of exchange, 
 by means of the precious metals, occurs in that 
 touching picture of primitive life, when Abra- 
 ham purchased of Ephron, the son of Zohar, 
 the cave of the field of Machpelah, " in which 
 cc to bury his dead out of his sight," and for 
 which he paid 400 shekels of silver, current 
 money with the merchant. Egypt is prominent 
 among the commercial countries mentioned in 
 
 the 
 
Material Wealth. 
 
 the Bible. From the fertile basin of the Nile, 
 corn was at all times transported and paid for 
 in silver by the purchaser. An active trade Trade of 
 
 J Egypt 
 
 was carried on by sea between Egypt and 
 Tyre, and overland between Babylon and the 
 cities of Syria ; but there was no foreign com- 
 merce among the Hebrews till the time of 
 Solomon, who imported linen yarn, horses, and 
 chariots, from the Egyptians, and organized 
 an extensive trade with the countries on the 
 shores of the Indian Ocean. 
 
 The Phoenicians, so celebrated in the annals 
 of commerce, were also renowned for their 
 manufacturing industry. Tyre, whose " mer- 
 cc chants were princes," was the most famous 
 mart of antiquity ; and it was under her rulers 
 that was formed the confederation of Phoeni- 
 cian cities, which has been called the " Han- 
 " seatic League of the Antients." Rome in- 
 herited the commercial power of Carthage, 
 
 and 
 
Modern Trade 
 
 Geographical Distribution of 
 
 and Marseilles soon became her rival. Under 
 the Emperors, Alexandria was the great en- 
 trepot of the Mediterranean, of Asia, and 
 of Africa. At the beginning of the eleventh 
 century, Venice and Genoa entered the field, 
 and the commerce of Europe passed into their 
 hands. On their decadence, arose the trade 
 of Portugal, with India in the fifteenth, that 
 of Spain with America in the sixteenth, and, 
 finally, that of Holland and England in the 
 seventeenth century. 
 
 So late \\as England in entering on the 
 career of commerce, that, in the reign of 
 Edward II. (1320), all foreign commodities 
 were brought to our shores by the Lombards 
 and the Hanseatic merchants. 
 
 Up till this time Great Britain shewed no 
 sign of the brilliant career that was in re- 
 serve for her; but, in the vigorous reign 
 of Elizabeth, which may be called the ro- 
 mantic 
 
Material Wealth. 
 
 mantic age of commerce, the spirit of adven- 
 ture was revived by the voyages of Drake, 
 Raleigh, Hawkins, and Cavendish. The East 
 India Company was chartered in 1600; and co- 
 lonies were established in North America in the 
 reign of James I. (1603-25). The career of 
 British commerce, during the latter part of the 
 eighteenth century, was checked by the Ame- 
 rican war, and the war with France, Spain, 
 and Holland, only to revive, with increased 
 power, at the beginning of the nineteenth. 
 Carthage represents the purely mercantile in- 
 dustry of antiquity, and offers a remarkable 
 analogy with England, which, in the words of 
 a recent French writer, is " the very incarna- 
 " tion of commerce in modern times." Like 
 Britain, Carthage grew rapidly in riches, in 
 territory, and in influence. Commerce was its 
 vivifying principle; but war and conquest 
 were indispensable to its security and its pro- 
 gress. 
 
 Rise of Trade 
 in Britain 
 
 Its Progress 
 
1 1 6 Geographical Distribution of 
 
 gress. The extent and power of the British 
 Empire has no parallel in the history of na- 
 tions. With the " mariners of England," you 
 may land, unchallenged, on every shore. 
 " The conquests of her merchants in the dis- 
 " tant East," says Dupin, " commence where 
 c< those of Alexander terminated ;" and " her 
 Extent " ships now cover every sea, laden with the 
 " treasures of the universe, bartered for those 
 <c of the industry of the United Kingdom." 
 
 In an eloquent eulogium on our historian 
 Hallam, M. Mignet says, " he taught the 
 " world how a people, apparently predestinated 
 " to an inferior place among nations, raised it- 
 " self so high by the excellency of its insti- 
 " tutions; became the most opulent in be- 
 cf coming the most free, the ablest in being 
 " the best governed; overcame the smallness 
 cc of its area by the greatness of its power; 
 c< dominated the ocean by its shipping; spread 
 
 " its 
 
 I 
 
Material Wealth. 
 
 117 
 
 " its produces over continents, and covered the 
 " earth with its establishments, already spanned 
 " by its ambition." The extent to which we 
 are indebted to steam navigation for the de- 
 velopment of our commercial relations is in- 
 calculable. cc What an efficacious agent," 
 observes M. Vidalin, " has not British genius 
 " found in those diligent steamers which cause 
 " commercial life to flow towards the United 
 " Kingdom, as the veins cause the blood to 
 " flow to the heart." 
 
 Many now present may remember the dis- 
 cussions which took place regarding the possi- 
 bility of crossing the Atlantic by steam only, 
 when, in 1836, a well-known author asserted 
 " that, to go to New York direct was as diffi- 
 " cult as to go to the moon:" how the diffi- 
 culty was solved, and the philosopher con- 
 founded, by the actual arrival at New York of 
 the Great Western on the iyth June 1838, 
 
 after 
 
 Steam 
 Navigation 
 
n8 
 
 Geographical Distribution of 
 
 Its import- 
 ance 
 
 after a passage of fifteen days from Bristol, 
 and of the Sirius from Cork, in seventeen 
 days, both by the aid of steam alone. 
 
 It is steam which, by affording rapid com- 
 munication with the auriferous regions, gives 
 to Britain the market of the precious metals; 
 and, but for its agency in the conveyance of 
 troops, the late rebellion in India might have 
 had a very different termination. It is satis- 
 factory to know, that the merit of this appli- 
 cation of steam power is now admitted to 
 belong to countrymen of our own. " The 
 "public (says the Athenaeum , No. 1108), are 
 " indebted fqr the invention of steam naviga- 
 " tion, not to Bell and Fulton, as generally 
 " believed, but to the united efforts of three 
 " Scotchmen, Miller, Taylor, and Symington, 
 " who began their experiments in 1788, and 
 " continued them into the present century. 
 cc Bell and Fulton both saw their boats and 
 
 " followed 
 
Material Wealth. 
 
 119 
 
 " followed their construction, the one on the 
 " Clyde, and the other on the Hudson." 
 
 The subject we have been thus hastily con- 
 sidering is well fitted to enlarge our concep- 
 tions of the power, wisdom, and benevolence 
 of God, and to inspire us with the noblest 
 hopes and aspirations for the future destiny 
 of our race, enabling us to look with confi- 
 dence for the time when men everywhere, re- 
 cognising His hand in the creation and conduct 
 of this wondrous orb, will " praise Him for 
 " His goodness to the children of men." We 
 have the authority of Livingstone for the 
 opinion, that, in the realization of this future, 
 the merchant should be the pioneer of the mis- 
 sionary, and that commerce, with its human- 
 izing influences, ought to precede religion in 
 the work of civilization. The merchant adven- 
 turer must teach the savage to respect himself, 
 by shewing him that he is possessed of faculties 
 
 which, 
 
 Anticipated 
 Progress of 
 Man 
 
 Duty of the 
 Merchant 
 
120 
 
 Material Wealth. 
 
 which, if applied to the arts of peace, will 
 render him a useful and profitable co-labourer 
 with his more enlightened fellow ; assuring him, 
 at the same time, by his actions, that he longs 
 for the dawning of that happy day when the 
 only fetters required to bind humanity will be 
 the <c cords of love," and when, without dis- 
 tinction of colour or race, " man to man the 
 " warld o'er shall brithers be for a' that." 
 
HISTORICAL NOTES 
 
 AS TO THE 
 
 MERCHANT COMPANY OF EDINBURGH 
 
NOTES 
 
 MERCHANT COMPANY OF EDINBURGH. 
 
 HE history of the first Merchants of Edinburgh, 
 like the early history of the city itself, is veiled 
 in obscurity. A Guild or Fraternity of Mer- 
 chants existed in Edinburgh, as in other places, 
 for a very long period anterior to the incorporation of the 
 Merchant Company in 1681. The Dean or Master of that 
 Fraternity was invested with a jurisdiction in all causes be- 
 twixt Merchant and Merchant, similar to that then exercis- 
 ed in France and Flanders, and especially in Paris, Rouen, 
 
 Bordeaux, 
 
 The Guild 
 
Historical Notes as to the 
 
 Merchants 
 a nd Craftsmen 
 
 James VI. 
 
 Bordeaux, and Rochelle. The " Guild or Merchants" 
 were wont to contribute annually to the support of the 
 Society with which they were connected, and the honours 
 of the burgh fell chiefly to them ; the Craftsmen, (single 
 Burgesses), not being entitled to equal privileges with the 
 Merchants. As was to be expefted, this distinction betwixt 
 Merchants and Craftsmen (these being the two classes into 
 which the " hail town and commonweil " were divided the 
 Members of the College of Justice forming no portion of the 
 "community'") gave rise to many jealousies, and also to some 
 protra&ed litigations. At last, in 1583, these two classes 
 agreed to refer their differences to King James VI. and others. 
 The decreet arbitral following on this agreement, bears the ap- 
 pearance, at Holyrood House, of, on the one part, the Commis- 
 sioners for the " hail Merchants, indwellers of the said burgh}" 
 and on the other, the "Commissioners for the hail Craftsmen, 
 indwellers of the said burgh," viz., " the Chirurgeans, Ham- 
 mermen, Tailyeours, Skinners, Goldsmiths, Baxters [Bakers,] 
 Furriers, Wrights, Maissons, Fleshers, Cordiners, Websters 
 [Weavers], Wakers* and Bonnet Makers}" anent" the remov- 
 ing of all questions, differences, and controversies, which are or 
 have been betwixt the said Merchants and Craftsmen." The 
 decree enacts, amongst other rules, that " the Magistrates and 
 
 Oflicemen, 
 
 * One of the qualifications, by the way, for "entering on business" in this craft, w< 
 
 being l worth three fairs of sheers! ' 
 
Merchant Company of Edinburgh. 
 
 Officemen, such as Provost, Baillies, Dean of Gild, and Trea- 
 saurer, to be in all tyme coming, of the estait and calling of 
 Merchants, conform to the A6ls of Parliment ; and gif ony 
 Craftsman exerceand merchandise, sail, for his good qualities, 
 be promovit thereto, in that caise, he sail leive his craft, and 
 not occupy the same be himself, nor his servants, during the 
 time of his office, and sail not return thereto at any tyme 
 thereafter quhill he obtain special license of the Provost, 
 Baillies, and Councel to that effea." 
 
 It was at this period that an important step was taken to 
 break down, to some extent, the distinction betwixt the Mer- 
 chants and the Trades, as it is also declared in the same decree, 
 " that toward [ending] the lang controversies for the Gildrie, 
 it is finally, with common consent, appoyntit, agreit, and con- 
 cludit, that als weill Craftsmen as Merchants, sail be received 
 and admitted Gild-brether, and the ane not to be refusit nor 
 secludit therefra mair nor the uther, they being Burgesses of 
 the burgh, als meit and qualified thairafore j and that Gild- 
 brether to have liberty to use merchandize/' 
 
 The privileges of the Gildrie were thus become common to 
 some extent to the Crafts as well as the Merchants ; and, ac- 
 cording to one account, it was owing to this, that the Merchants 
 resolved to form themselves into a distincl corporation, and ob- 
 tained, in 1 68 1, a Charter for themselves, under the name of 
 The Company of Merchants of the City of Edinburgh. The 
 more probable reason, and certainly the main one, for their 
 
 being 
 
 Provost, &c., 
 to be Mer- 
 chants 
 
 Merchant 
 Company 
 
1696 
 
 Rise aiid 
 Progress of 
 Company 
 
 Historical Notes as to the 
 
 being incorporated, was that stated in the Charter itself, viz., 
 that the erefting of the Merchants therein described, " in a 
 Company, may be a very effectual mean for improving of their 
 trade and preventing all abuses therein ; and especially for 
 enabling them to prosecute the design of manufactories, and 
 carrying on so good and great a work/ 1 The Charter 
 incorporates into a Company, the whole then " merchants, 
 sellers, or importers of cloths, stuffs, or other merchandise, for 
 the apparel or wear of the bodies of men and women, Bur- 
 gesses and Guild Brethren of the said burgh, for themselves 
 and successors in their said trade in all time coming j" and 
 declares that " none shall have liberty to exercise the trade of 
 the Company within the City of Edinburgh or privileges [i.e. 9 
 suburbs] thereof, unless they join the Company.' 11 
 
 There is a very early account of the Company, in the 
 Minutes dated 3oth March 1696} and as it is very brief, 
 and is, curiously enough, the only formal statement of the 
 history of the Merchant Company which has hitherto been 
 written, we extract it nearly entire : 
 
 " The Rise and Progress of the Merchant Company to this day (i June 
 1696), draivn and presented by Eailzle Cuninghame, <was twice 
 read, unanimouslie approven, and appointed to be recorded , 'where- 
 of the tenor follows : 
 
 " The practice and long experience of all well-governed trading cities 
 in being divyded, and joined in Companies, doth sufficientlie demonstrat 
 the great advantages thereof, whereby their unitie, order, trades, and 
 
 charitie, 
 
Merchant Company of Edinburgh. 
 
 7 
 
 charitie, are secured and advanced, And, of all nations, Scotland was most 
 defective therein : Wherefore King James VI., understanding how much 
 the order, trade, and peace of the Citie of London was lodged in the Com- 
 panies thereof, he wished his antient Citie of Edinburgh might fall on 
 such methods. And for that, and King Charles I., in anno 1634, con- 
 sidering what a numerous corporation the Merchants of Edinburgh were, 
 did at large write to the Town Councill, offering great and singular privi- 
 ledges to such of them as would join in Companies. And His Majestic 
 being zealous for the designe, did, in anno 1636, renew his desire to the 
 town, that the Merchants should enter themselves in Companies, as is 
 evident by the Councill Records. Which happy proposall (by evill times) 
 never proved effectuall untill the year 1658, Sir James Stuart,* then 
 Provost of Edinburgh, with some other Merchants, made purchasse of a 
 meeting place for carving on ane Company. But the circumstance of 
 those times did also frustrat their laudable undertaking. And thereafter, 
 in anno 1 680, it is again proposed and assayed that Merchants should enter 
 in severall Companies. Whereupon two Companies (though not designed) 
 were happly formed and constitut, viz., the Companie of Wine Mer- 
 chants, and Merchant Retailers, who both procured patents from the 
 King, which were confirmed by the Councill, and that for the Retailers, 
 ratified also in Parliament, containing great priviledges to the said Com- 
 pany." 
 
 As it will explain much that is written in the following 
 pages, we give here a copy of this original Charter : 
 ROYAL 
 
 James VI. 
 desires for- 
 mation of 
 Merchant 
 Companies 
 
 Also Charles I. 
 
 Sir James 
 Stuart 
 
 James Stuart was a conspicuous after, on the popular side, in the affairs of Scotland 
 during the years of the civil wars. ... He was Provost of Edinburgh in the trying 
 time when it was invested, and at length taken possession of by the troops of Cromwell. 
 He survived the Restoration, and was a sufferer under Charles II. 's rule, but nevertheless, 
 left considerable realized wealth to his descendants, the Stuarts, Baronets of Coltness. 
 His son was Lord Advocate under King William and Queen Anne ; and the grandson of 
 that personage wrote the first systematic work on political economy which appeared in 
 this country. Vide Edinburgh Merchants and Merchandise in Old Times. By Robert 
 Chambers. 
 
Historical Notes as to the 
 
 R easons for 
 granting 
 Charter 
 
 Incorporation 
 
 cf Company 
 
 Office-bearers 
 
 ROYAL CHARTER, by Charles //., Incorporating Company, 
 dated 1 68 1, and ratified in Parliament. 
 
 Charles, by the Grace of God, King o f Great Britain, France, and 
 Ireland, Defender of the Faith, To all and sundry to whom these pre- 
 sents shall come, greeting : Be it known, That We, considering how 
 necessary it is for the flourishing of Trade, especially after the late regu- 
 lation made therein, That according to the policy and good example of 
 other places, Companies be creeled in the several branches thereof, 
 And that the Merchants, importers, or sellers of cloths, stuffs, or other 
 merchandise for the apparel and wear of the bodies of men and women 
 within the City of Edinburgh, have not only a considerable interest in 
 Trade, do pay a great part of His Majesty's Customs, and are liable to 
 greater Imposts and Stents than any other Trade or Incorporation within 
 the said City, but that the erefting of them in a Company may be a very 
 effectual mean for improving of their Trade, and preventing all abuses 
 therein, and especially for the better enabling them to prosecute the design 
 of manufactories, and carrying on so good and great a work : Therefore, 
 His Majesty, of his certain knowledge and proper motive, By virtue of 
 his Princely Power and Royal Prerogative, Creates, Incorporates, and 
 Erefts the haill present Merchants, sellers, or importers of cloths, 
 stuffs, or other merchandise, for the apparel or wear of the bodies of 
 men and women, Burgesses and Guild Brethren of the said Burgh, for 
 themselves and successors in their said Trade, in all time coming, in a 
 Society and Company to be designed The Company of Merchants of 
 the City of Edinburgh, Giving and Granting unto them, likeas His 
 Majesty, by the tenor hereof, gives and grants to the said Company and 
 their successors, his express power, warrant, and commission, to enrol 
 and matriculate themselves, and to meet, convene, and assemble, at all 
 times, and in all places needful and convenient, within the said City, 
 Beginning the first Meeting on the first day of December next to come j 
 and being so met and assembled, to nominate and elecl: by plurality of 
 voices, a Master, with twelve Assistants, whereof seven are to be a 
 
 quorum, 
 
Merchant Company of Edinburgh. 
 
 quorum, with Treasurer, Clerk, and Officer, from time to time, as ef- 
 feirs : the said Master and Assistants being all actual Merchants exercis- 
 ing the said Trade, and to continue in the said offices until the first 
 Monday of September, Sixteen hundred and Eighty-two ; And there, 
 upon the said day, if lawful, and failing thereof, the next lawful day 
 thereafter, of new to nominate and elect in like manner, a Master, 
 Assistants, and Treasurer, in place of the former for the year ensuing, 
 and so forth from year to year, in all time coming, And the Clerk 
 and Officer to continue during pleasure : With power to the said Com- 
 pany, and their said Master and Assistants, for their better conveniency 
 and meeting, to purchase for themselves, have, hold, and enjoy, a 
 public Hall and other houses necessary within the said City : And 
 His Majesty hath authorised, and hereby authorises and empowers the 
 said Company and their successors, to make by plurality of voices, such 
 rules and orders amongst themselves, for the better regulating of their 
 Trade, and keeping good order, as may conduce to the good and utility 
 of the said Society, the sime rules and orders being always agieeable 
 to and consistent with the public laws of the Kingdom of Scotland, 
 and the rights, privileges, liberties, customs, and statutes of the said 
 City : Providing always, likeas it is hereby specially provided, That 
 the foresaid rules and orders be always first presented to and approven 
 of by the ordinar Council of the said Burgh, before they take effect or 
 can be of any force : With power to the said Master and his Assistants to 
 cause observe, and be put in execution, all acts and statutes concerning 
 the said Trade, and to punish offenders by fining or any other way, the 
 said fine not exceeding Twenty Pounds Scots for one transgression, and 
 the concurrence of the Magistrates of the said City being always had to 
 the execution of their sentence, by poinding or otherwise, as accords : 
 And His Majesty hereby declares and ordains, that hereafter none 
 shall have liberty to exerce the said Trade within the said City or 
 privileges thereof, until first they enter themselves Members of the said 
 Society, and pay the Entry and Dues after mentioned. Likeas His 
 Majesty hereby declares that all persons being Burgesses and Guild 
 
 Brethren 
 
 CHARTER 
 
 Master and 
 Assistants to 
 be aftual 
 Merchants 
 exercising 
 said trade 
 
 Hall 
 
 Rules 
 
 May enforce 
 Rules 
 
 Who bound to 
 enter Com- 
 pany 
 
10 
 
 CHARTER 
 
 Entry Money 
 Quarter Dues 
 
 Contributions 
 
 Disposal of 
 
 Funds 
 
 Members may 
 belong to 
 other Corpora- 
 tions 
 
 Investments 
 
 Historical Notes as to the 
 
 Brethren of the said Burgh, and purposing or going about to exetce 
 the said trade within the same, may enter, and shall be received in 
 the said Company, paying at their entry Six Pounds Scots, with the 
 sum of Six Shillings Scots quarterly, and each quarter of the year, so 
 long as they exerce the said Trade, with power to the said Master and 
 Assistants to exact and uplift the said Entry-money and quarterly pay- 
 ments, as also to exact and uplift from every Apprentice entering to be 
 a Prentice to any Merchant of the said Society, Three Pounds Scots at 
 his said Entry, all which sums are to be paid into the common Treasurer 
 or Master of the Common Box of the said Company : And His Majesty 
 authorises the foresaid Company, and haill Associates thereof, to make 
 such free and voluntary contributions amongst themselves for their 
 Treasurer, to be expended upon their common adoes and concerns, as 
 they and each of themselves think fit, without any imposing or con- 
 straining of any particular Member, unless by exacting whatsoever they 
 bhall voluntarily promise or consent to bestow, by poinding or any other 
 way, as is fit: Which sums of money and proper stock, to be paid into 
 the Treasurer of the said Company as said is, shall be managed and dis- 
 bursed by the Master and Assistants for the good and utility of the said 
 Company, and for the relief and supply of such of their Members as 
 may happen to fail and decay, and of their indigent Widows and Orphans ; 
 the said Master and Assistants being always accomptable to the body of 
 the said Company for their administration : And His Majesty hereby 
 declares that this present erection of the said Merchants in a Company 
 as said is, shall be no hinderance to them, or any of them, or their suc- 
 cessors, to be Members of any other Merchant Company or Incorpora- 
 tion that is or shall be hereafter erected at their pleasure : And Lastly, 
 His Majesty hereby capacitates, enables, and empowers the foresaid Com- 
 pany to purchase lands, houses, annual-rents, and heritages, borrow and 
 lend money, and to do all other acts of common commerce as freely as 
 is permitted and allowed to any other Company of the like nature : 
 Declaring, likeas His Majesty hereby Declares, that the deed being 
 first done and consented to by the said Company or plurality thereof, 
 
 and 
 
Merchant Com f any of Edinburgh. 
 
 and acl of the Company made and recorded thereupon, the sign and 
 subscription of the Master, with seven of his Assistants, and of the 
 Clerk of the said Company jointly, shall be a sufficient assurance and 
 certification of the said deed and consent of the whole Company : And 
 also, His Majesty allows the said Company, and their said Master and 
 Assistants, to have and use a common seal in such cases wherein the 
 same shall be requisite, Declaring the cognisance of the said Company 
 to be engraven upon the said Seal, and used upon all their occasions, 
 shall be such as His Majesty's Lyon King-at-Armi shall appoint as 
 suitable to the said Society. It is hereby declared, that the rights and 
 privileges of the several Trades of the said Burgh of Edinburgh is here- 
 by reserved to them as accords of the Law : And His Majesty promises 
 in verbo principis y to ratify this present Gift of ErecYion in this current 
 or the ensuing Parliament of the said Kingdom : In testimony whereof, 
 We have ordered Our Great Seal to be appended hereto, at Our Court 
 of Whitehall, the nineteenth day of the month of October, in the year 
 of our Lord One thousand Six hundred and Eighty-one, and of Our 
 Reign the Thirty-third year: Which Charter and Letters Patent above 
 recited was by an Adi passed by the Parliament of Scotland in the year 
 Sixteen hundred and Ninety-three, ratified, approved, and confirmed in 
 the haill heads, articles, tenors, contents, powers, and privileges therein 
 contained, as in and by the said recited Charter or Letters Patent, and 
 Instrument of Ratification thereof, relation being thereunto had, doth 
 and will more fully appear. 
 
 The first meeting of the Company, of which a record is re- 
 tained, was held in the High Council House, on ist December 
 1 68 1, at which Sir James Fleming, Provost of Edinburgh, and 
 eighty-four other Merchants, were present. The above Charter 
 or Patent to the Company, by King Charles II., was read, and 
 ex-Bailie George Drummond, Merchant (afterwards Sir George 
 
 Drummond 
 
 I I 
 
 CHARTER 
 
 Seal 
 
 First Meeting 
 
12 
 
 First Office- 
 bearers 
 
 Historical Notes as to the 
 
 Drummond, Lord Provost of Edinburgh), was elected Master, 
 along with the following twelve Assistants and Treasurer : 
 
 .fir-Bailie Thomas Douglas. 
 .Etf-Bailie David Swintoune. 
 Mr Robeit Blackwood. 
 Mr Duncan M'Intosh. 
 Mr James Boyd. 
 Mr James Grahame. 
 
 Mr William Patoun. 
 Mr John Duncan. 
 Mr James Cleilland. 
 Mr John Tennent. 
 Mr John Hay. 
 Mr William Menzies. 
 
 Treasurer Mr Thomas Young. 
 
 There appears to have been a General Meeting of the Com- 
 pany on the same day, to sign the record of entrants con- 
 tained in the Minute Book, as numerous signatures are at- 
 tached under that date ; and on that leaf of this the first 
 regular Minute-Book of the Company, and on the three fol- 
 lowing leaves, are to be found, in a state of perfect preserva- 
 tion, the signatures of the first Members of the Incorporated 
 Company. Keeping in view the period at which they were 
 written, and looking to the excellent penmanship of nearly all 
 these signatures, it is evident that the Members were men of 
 good education. Many of these family names have a pleasantly 
 familiar sound, even at this date : such as Wm. Menzies, 
 Thomas Young, J. Duncan, Robert Blackwood (afterwards 
 Sir Robert Blackwood, Lord Provost), Ro. Millar, Geo. 
 Mossman, James Fleming (Lord Provost, afterwards Sir James 
 Fleming), Charles Charteris, Thomas Robertson, George Law- 
 sone, Geoige Warrender, ancestor to the Baronets of that name, 
 (subsequently, Sir George Warrender, Lord Provost), James 
 
 Kirk, 
 
Merchant Company of Edinburgh. 
 
 '3 
 
 Kirk, Hugh Blair (afterwards Master, grandfather of Blair, 
 
 
 the accomplished author of Sermons and Lettures on Belles 
 
 
 Lettres'), John Lindsay, Jo. Jollie, Archibald Walker, John 
 
 
 Ritchie, J. Russel, and others. 
 
 
 The following are the Names of the first Members of the 
 
 
 Company, in the order in which they stand in the Record : 
 
 
 I. SIGNATURES ON FIRST PAGE OF RECORD. 
 
 
 George Drummond Josias Johnstone 
 Tho. Douglas Ro. Blackwood 
 
 John Chatto 
 Hellenor Martine, re- 
 
 First 
 Members 
 
 David Swinton Jo. Thomson 
 
 lecke of Robert 
 
 
 R. Blackwood W. R. Lumisden 
 
 Dunckane 
 
 
 Thomas Young j Tho. Gordon 
 
 J. Guthrie 
 
 
 Wm. Menzies 
 
 Harie Andersone 
 
 David Stow 
 
 
 Dn. M'Intosh 
 
 Ja. Cleland 
 
 James Flemyeng 
 
 
 Jo. Hay 
 
 G. H. Reid 
 
 J. Hamilton 
 
 
 J. Duncan 
 Ja. Boyd 
 Thos. Lawrie 
 
 Ja. Broad foott 
 Ro. Millar 
 Wm. Montgomerie 
 
 Will. Stevenson 
 Jno. Kennedy 
 Magnus Primer 
 
 
 W. Cleland 
 
 Ja. Alstoun 
 
 Cha. Charteris 
 
 
 James Dobie 
 Jo. Littell 
 
 Archibald Johnstoune 
 John Chanceler 
 
 Ja. Nicolson 
 James Graham 
 
 
 Thomas Wyllie 
 
 Alexander Brand 
 
 John Marjoribanks 
 
 
 Ja. M'Clellan 
 
 Da. Johnstoun 
 
 J. Grattoune 
 
 
 Geo. Smellum 
 
 Wa. Stewart 
 
 John Moore 
 
 
 Pat. Johnstoun 
 
 Wm. Young 
 
 Alex. Cruikshanks 
 
 
 Will. Blackwood 
 
 John Handisyd 
 
 Ths. Robertson 
 
 
 A. N. (this is Alex. 
 
 Da. M on tier 
 
 Geo. Lawsone 
 
 
 NelUone, Elder, me r- Geo. Mossman 
 
 Will. Gordon 
 
 
 chanty hh marke) G. Home 
 
 J. Anderson 
 
 
 II. SECOND PAGE OF RECORD OF MEMBERS. 
 
 
 Hugh Blair 
 
 An. Tennant Jo. Jollie 
 
 
 Robert Walwood 
 
 Robert Broune 
 
 M. Bell 
 
 
 Alexander Laurie 
 
 Thomas Fisher 
 
 Edward Marjoribanks 
 
 
 Alexr. Black 
 
 John Lindsay 
 
 And. Neill 
 
 
 George 
 
 
H 
 
 Historical Notes as to the 
 
 First 
 
 George Warrender 
 
 James Simsone 
 
 William Corsaw 
 
 Signatures 
 
 Geo. Clark 
 
 John (J. T.) fhome- 
 
 J. Arbuckelle 
 
 
 Geo. Wedderburne 
 
 son's mark, Elder 
 
 John Miller 
 
 
 Joseph Young 
 
 Ja. Reid 
 
 James Newall 
 
 
 Ja. Kirk 
 
 David Neish 
 
 Jo. Marshall 
 
 
 Gei>. Craighead 
 
 William Cock 
 
 Ja. Smeton 
 
 
 Thomas Crichton 
 
 Georg Bell 
 
 Geo. M'Kenzie 
 
 
 James Bowden 
 
 Alex. Campbell 
 
 Rob. Campbell 
 
 
 W. Cuninghame 
 
 Alx. Lessells 
 
 Jon. Richie 
 
 
 Jo. Hunter 
 
 Thomas Ker 
 
 Georg Balfour 
 
 
 A. Blair 
 
 John Tennent 
 
 Hugh Blackie 
 
 
 D. Falconer 
 
 James Clerk 
 
 John Clerk 
 
 
 James Loch 
 
 Ha. Elphunstone 
 
 Tohn Cauve 
 
 
 Robert Baird 
 
 Jo. Drummond 
 
 Jo. Nasmyth 
 
 
 Hugh Campbell 
 
 James Tait 
 
 David Estoun 
 
 
 G. Urummond 
 
 Laurence Donaldsone 
 
 James Fergus 
 
 
 Arch. Walker 
 
 Jo. Brown 
 
 Ja. Gib 
 
 
 Ja. Row 
 
 John Hall 
 
 James Aitkine 
 
 
 Andrew Irvine 
 
 George Funnestowne 
 
 Alexander Chanceler 
 
 
 W. Neilsone 
 
 John Corsbie 
 
 Da. Allan 
 
 
 Rob. Lauder 
 
 Rot. Gibson 
 
 John Armstrong 
 
 
 Stephen Bromfield 
 
 John Henderson 
 
 Tho. Young 
 
 
 John Wallace 
 
 
 
 
 In this same record are to be seen the signatures of every 
 
 
 Member of the Company to the present day, a record which is 
 
 
 thus a singularly interesting one, as also valuable in questions 
 
 
 of ancestry. The late Mr James Jollie, W.S., Senior Clerk, 
 
 
 prepared and presented to the Company, in 1839, in t ^ e 
 
 
 55th year .of his Clerkship, an alphabetical list of the whole 
 
 List of 
 Members 
 
 Members of the Company. This list, brought down to the pre- 
 
 
 sent day, is printed in the Appendix. Amongst these and 
 
 
 the later names added to the list, will be found almost all 
 
 
 the leading men of Edinburgh and Leith for nearly two 
 
 
 centuries j not a few of whom were connected with the no- 
 
 
 bility 
 
Merchant Company of Edinburgh. 
 
 bility and highest families in the land. The consequence 
 is, that now, as formerly, Membership in the Merchant 
 Company is, as a rule, a very good test of high respefta- 
 bility ; and while many of the principal office-bearers of the 
 Company, such as the Masters and Treasurers, have after- 
 wards become Lord Provosts of the city, and some of them the 
 representatives of the city in Parliament, the office-bearers, 
 generally, have, with very few exceptions, been sele&ed from 
 amongst the foremost business men in Edinburgh. 
 
 The earlier meetings of the Company were very numerously 
 attended ; but as the absentees were fined, and their goods 
 poinded for the penalties, their strift attention was to be ex- 
 pefted. The Minutes commence generally with the words, 
 <f Absentees unlawed." The meetings of the Master and As- 
 sistants were for sometime held weekly, on Tuesday, at eight 
 o'clock in the morning ; and these gentlemen managed the 
 affairs so energetically, that, at the end of the fourth year, 
 nearly 200 Merchants had joined the Company Great trouble 
 was taken to secure that the members should be godly, well- 
 condufted persons ; and a Prayer was composed by the Very 
 Rev. William Annand, Dean of Edinburgh, to be " said by 
 ye Clerk" at the Meetings. We extraft this Prayer as it stands 
 in the Minutes of 28th August 1682. 
 
 Prayer compiled by the Dean of Edinburgh, to be read at the 
 Meetings oj the Company > 1682. 
 
 " Almighty and Eternal God : Thy servants now assembled im- 
 plore 
 
 Early 
 Meetings 
 
 Prayer 
 
i6 
 
 Dean Annand 
 
 Historical Notes as to the 
 
 plore, according to Thy precious promises, the pardon of all our offences, 
 and Thy Holy Spirit to deliver us from falling into the snares of sin and 
 Satan : Keep us O Lord in peace, purity, brotherly love and concord, by 
 removing pride, prejudice, passion, covetousness, and whatever may 
 offend Thy Blessed Majesty. Bless our King and all the Royal Family, 
 the Magistrates, and all the Incorporations of this City ; the Master and 
 all the Members of this Society, that we may have fellowship with 
 Thee. The sea is Thine, and Thy hands formed the dry land : prosper 
 us in our present undertaking with the bounties of both; above all, 
 with the bounties of Thy Spirit, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen" 
 
 The Dean referred to was a noted man of his time, and 
 was " the clergyman officially appointed to attend the unfor- 
 tunate Earl of Argyle on the scaffold." " Y e clerk" did not 
 continue long the duty of repeating the Prayer, as the first rule 
 of the Company, made soon afterwards, threw the privilege, 
 in a great majority of cases, on the Master ; and, after some 
 years, the opening of the meetings with prayer fell into disuse. 
 
 The earliest Rules of the Company are engrossed in the 
 Minutes of the General Meeting of the Company on aznd No- 
 vember 1682. A Committee had been previously appointed to 
 wait upon the Magistrates for a " ratification of certain Rules 
 of the Company or ( Society,' and for a general concurrence to 
 any of their officers in the execution of the afts of the Com- 
 pany against Unfreemen, whether they are altogether strangers 
 or whether they have right to their freedom by their parents' 
 marriages, or apprenticeships, not being actually entered Bur- 
 gesses and Gild Brother of this burgh." These Rules were so 
 
 ratified 
 
Merchant Company of Edinburgh. 
 
 ratified under the amendment to be afterwards mentioned. 
 We give in extenso these now curious Rules, as shewing the 
 general features of the Company at that early date : 
 
 RULES OF THE COMPANY. 
 
 Prayer ConduEt of Members. 
 
 " Firstly, That at every General Meeting of the Company, and at 
 every Meeting of the Master and Assistants, the Master or Clerk shall say 
 prayers 5 and that the Company, or Master and Assistants, if they think 
 fit, may call one of the Ministers of Edinburgh to that purpose. 
 
 " Secondly, That no openly profane person, a common and ordinar 
 swearer, drunkard, or whoorer, be admitted to bear any office in the 
 said Society ; and that the assertion of any three or four, or more, of 
 the Company at the election, shall be a sufficient ground to debar any 
 such nominat from being chosen, without any further probation. 
 
 " Thirdly, That for every rash swearing or cursing, obscene or baudy 
 expression, spoken by any Member in the publick or private meeting of 
 the Society, shall pay Six Shillings Scots, to the poor, for the first fault, 
 and Twelve Shillings thereafter. 
 
 Membership. 
 
 " Fourthly, That none hereafter shall be admitted into the Incorpor- 
 ation but such as are Burgesses and Gild Brethren in Edinburgh, at 
 the least, Burgesses. 
 
 Master and Assistants, and mode of Ele&ion. 
 
 " Fifthly, That the Master and Assistants be chosen of new every 
 year. But to the effecl, there may be some of the Assistants always 
 upon the Council, that they may be acquaint in the affairs of the So- 
 ciety, the Company may choose for the succeeding year some of the 
 Assistants of the year preceding, not exceeding the number of three, but 
 are not to continue longer tyme than these two years together. 
 
 " Sixthly, That, upon the last Monday of August, a leet be made of 
 
 the 
 
 First Rules 
 
i8 
 
 Historical Notes as to the 
 
 First Rules 
 
 the whole Company for Master and new Assistants, and the leet to 
 consist of three for Master, out of the Assistants, thirty-six for Assistants, 
 and three for Treasurer, of such persons of the whole Company as the 
 Company shall think most fit, and copies to be given thereof by the 
 Clerk to such as shall require it. 
 
 " Seventhly, That, upon the first Monday of September being the 
 day of election, after saying of prayers, the present Master cause read 
 the whole leet, that the Company know there has been no altera- 
 tion made of the leet, or if any happen to be, it may be objected against 
 by any of the Company, and upon instant probation altered. 
 
 " EiftttfyfThttt after prayers on the day of election, the first thing 
 to be done by the Clerk is to read over the roll of such as are entered in 
 the Company, and pay their quarterly dues, and mark those present 
 who only are to vote in the election, and all others to be removed. 
 
 " Ninthly, That those in the leet for Master, and Assistants, and 
 Treasurer, remove after they have given their votes. 
 
 " Tenthly, The elecYion being thus regularly and orderly finished, the 
 former Master is to cause the Clerk read over the new elected persons, 
 Members, and to take the oath defidell of such as are present. And 
 in case of the absence of the new elected Master, there being seven of 
 the new elected Assistants present, they nominate a Preses to preside 
 and appoint the next meeting ; but if seven, which is a quorum, be not 
 present, the former Master is to do it. 
 
 " Eleventhly, That if any elected to be Master shall refuse to accept 
 of his office, he shall be obliged to pay to the box Fifty Pounds Scots ; 
 or if the Treasurer or any of the Assistants refuse, each one of them 
 Fifty Merks ; besides, that the persons so elected and refusing, shall not 
 be capable to be elected for any office in the Society for three years 
 thereafter. 
 
 Here 
 
Merchant Company of Edinburgh. 
 
 " Here follow the Rules to be observed by the Master, Assist- 
 ants, Treasurer, Clerk, and Officer : 
 
 Meetings. 
 
 " First, That, upon the first Meeting after the election, the Rules 
 and Orders of the Society be read over by them j and such of them as 
 have not taken the oath de fideli, then take it. 
 
 " Secondly, That, in the Master's absence, the quorum of the Assis- 
 tants may chuse one of their number to preside. 
 
 " Thirdly, That, at every Meeting, they appoint the time of the next, 
 with power to the Master and three Assistants, or eight Assistants, 
 without the Master, to call a Meeting before the ordinary diet, in case 
 of any emergent occasion. 
 
 " Fourthly, That upon every absence from a Meeting appointed 
 twelve hours before, of any of the Members, if in health, or in town, 
 the Master or Clerk shall pay Six Shillings Scots, each time. Each 
 Assistant or Treasurer, Four Shillings Scots, and the Officer, what the 
 Meeting shall judge fit. And for every quarter of an hour after the 
 hour of meeting appointed, Twelve Pennies Scots. Every Member of 
 the Society shall pay for their absence from the General Meeting, Four 
 Shillings Scots, and for sero, Twelve Pennies Scots ; for which fines, 
 the Officer shall poind in case of not payment. 
 
 Obtaining Netv Members, &c. 
 
 " Fifthly, That the Masters and Assistants divide themselves in their 
 bounds, to procure an exact list of all their trade in the Merchant's 
 employment, that such as are Unfreemen may be proceeded against 
 with all diligence and without delay, connivance, or tolerance, and that 
 such as are Freemen unentered, may be compelled to enter and pay their 
 quarterly dues, conform to the Patent. 
 
 " Sixthly, That any information given by any of the Society, and 
 offered to be proven against any Unfreeman trading in the city or sub- 
 urbs, or Burgesses buying from Unfreemen, be presently followed furth 
 
 and 
 
 First Rules 
 regulating 
 Office-bearers 
 
2O 
 
 Historical Notes as to the 
 
 First Rules 
 
 and pursued j or any other legal and just complaints given in by any of 
 the Company. 
 
 Quarter Dues. 
 
 " Sev enthly, That every quarter day a list be given into the Treasurer 
 of the Members of the Society, that he may exact the quarterly pay- 
 ments, and if they fail, he may cause the Officer poind therefor j and 
 if that any that are entered Members of the Society do not actually 
 trade and refuse to pay their quarterly payments, two terms being run 
 and the third unpaid, he is not to have vote in the General Meeting. 
 
 11 Eighthly, That at the next General Meeting every Member pay in 
 his quarterly dues for the time past, and thereafter at two General Meet- 
 ings of the year, which is to be appointed for that effect, and that such 
 as do not pay at these Meetings be poinded for the double by the 
 Officer. 
 
 Motions. 
 
 " Ninthly^ That any overtures for the good of the Society, or rules, 
 or orders thought fit to be observed by them, proceeding either from 
 Master or Assistants, or any person of the Society, shall be first ma- 
 turely considered by the Master and Assistants, and unanimously agreed 
 to by them, or major part of them, and which is not to pass at the first 
 General Meeting, but be delayed until a second General Meeting, and 
 then to be determined by plurality of votes. 
 
 Business above 5. 
 
 " Tenthly, Before any business of consequence that may cost the 
 Society above Five Pounds sterling, shall be undertaken, a General 
 Meeting is to be called and their consent by plurality of votes obtained 
 for prosecution thereof $ and if the Master and Assistants shall do in 
 the contrary, it shall be upon their own charge ; and if by the General 
 Meeting, it shall be judged to be to their damage, what they have 
 done shall be cancelled and annulled, and the charges not allowed ; and 
 the Treasurer shall not be obliged to answer or pay any sum above Five 
 
 Pounds 
 
Merchant Company of Edinburgh. 
 
 Pounds sterling by any order from the Master and Assistants, except by 
 an aft passed in the General Meeting. 
 
 Treasurers Accounts. 
 
 " Eleventhly, The Treasurer's accounts are to be examined the first 
 Monday of October, by a Committee to be appointed by the General 
 Meeting, consisting of twelve, whereof eight are to be chosen out of 
 the Company, who are in no office, two of the old and two of the new 
 Assistants, whereof any seven is to be a quorum, and the Treasurer's 
 books are to lie in the Clerk's hands, to be seen and perused by any of 
 the Company who shall desire the same, ten days before the accounts be 
 brought in to be approven by a General Meeting. 
 
 RATIFICATION AND AMENDMENT 
 
 " The which Rules and Orders particularly above-mentioned, the 
 Council ratifies and approves, and enterpones their authority thereto, 
 and ordains the same to stand in full force and vigour in all time 
 coming, with this express provision, declaration, and amendment, that 
 as to the point of the foresaid general concurrence granted by the Coun- 
 cil to the said Incorporation and Society of Merchants, the same shall 
 be restricted allenarly as to the seizure and apprehending of Unfreemen 
 who are not actually entered Burgess and Gild Brethren of Edinburgh 5 
 and that the said general concurrence shall not extend any further. 
 As, likewise, with this provision and amendment, that in case the 
 said Incorporation shall admit and receive, or suffer any persons 
 to sit and vote amongst them who is not previously entered Bur- 
 gess and ' Gild' Brother of this burgh, in case they trade in foreign 
 commodities, or if they trade only in inland commodities, that they be 
 simple * Burgess,' or if that they be Burgess' daughters, that they have 
 licence from the Council of Edinburgh, or relicts of Freemen Burgesses, 
 that then the said Incorporation have, by the acceptation hereof, ex- 
 pressly bound and obliged, that if they shall receive or enter any person 
 as said is Members of their Incorporation, without first they be actually 
 
 entered 
 
 First Rules 
 
22 
 
 "Lady 
 Members 
 
 Resolve to 
 purchase a 
 Hall 
 
 Reasons for 
 doing so 
 
 Historical Notes as to the 
 
 entered Burgess and Freemen of this burgh, and can produce their 
 Burgess tickets, then to pay to the Dean of Gild of Edinburgh, for the 
 time, the sum of One Hundred Pounds Scots, for every such failure 
 for the use of the town." 
 
 As regards the Lady Merchants referred to in the above lati- 
 fication, not a few of them entered the Company j and, accord- 
 ingly, in the Record we find such entries as the following : 
 
 Ahtone^ by virtue of a license from the Dean of Gild, 
 dated 13 Jan. 1683, ye 21 of Oct. 1684 entered." 
 
 " Eli%abeth Bennet, shopkeeper, in the Change, ed null Burgess : 
 Entered ye 6 Jan. 1685, and paid her dues." 
 
 " Sarah Cockburn, spouse of Robert Kyle." 
 
 The wives of Members sometimes paid the entry money j and 
 at a General Meeting on ajth August 1694, it is reported 
 that a certain Burgess and Guild Brother had subscribed the 
 " book, his wife having paid the entry-money. 11 
 
 Hitherto the Company had met in the " High Council 
 House j" but the Members having (Minute i6th March 1691) 
 become " convinced that great prejudice had arisen to the So- 
 ciety by the want of a public hall or house for carrying all 
 Unfreemen's goods to, there to lie and remain until sold to 
 Freemen of the said city j for the want whereof, Unfreemen's 
 goods are kept in private houses, and sold clandestinely every 
 day;" therefore, the Master and Assistants " pitched upon 
 the Great Lodging, Yard, and waste ground, lying in the Cow- 
 gate, which belonged to Andrew Crawford, Sheriff-Clerk of 
 
 Linlithgow." 
 
Merchant Company of Edinburgh. 
 
 Linlithgow." The rental of this property was then seven hun- 
 dred pounds Scots, and the price paid for it was 12,100 merks. 
 This " Great Lodging" had a very aristocratic history ; and 
 as it was one of the most celebrated buildings in the Old Town, 
 and, apart from this, must be of special interest to the Mem- 
 bers, as the Merchant Hall in the olden time, we shall particu- 
 larly refer to it. 
 
 It stood on the ground on which the southern piers of 
 George IV. Bridge now rest. The ground was, we find from 
 the old title-deeds, first granted by James, King of Scotland, 
 to John, Lord Bothwell, in 1485. It passed rapidly through 
 other hands, and in 1498, the King, who had re-acquired 
 it by the summary mode of revoking all prior donations, 
 granted it to John Ramsay, Knight. In 1543, it passed 
 to Sir John Ramsay's son, William Ramsay of Balmain. 
 David Ramsay of Balmain afterwards (1553) acquired it as 
 heir of his father, and, in 1562, granted a charter to David 
 M'Gill, advocate. In 1582, David and his spouse, Isabel 
 Cunningham, were infeft in it. On 5th May 1586, David, now 
 the King's Advocate, obtained a license from King James, un- 
 der his Privy Seal, for raising the lodging and bringing the same 
 out upon the street free of purprision. In 1586, David gave 
 the property to his son John, reserving, however, right to re- 
 claim it on payment of a crown of gold. He exercised this 
 right against his young son in 1592, after going through vari- 
 ous necessary ceremonies, amongst others, granting a Procura- 
 
 tory 
 
 Price 
 
 This Property 
 of historical 
 celebrity 
 
 Former Pro- 
 prietors of it 
 
Historical Notes as to the 
 
 tory of Resignation to his other son Alexander, to pass to St 
 Giles's Kirk and redeem the said lodging from John, by pay- 
 ment or consignation of a crown of gold, and by obtaining a 
 Decreet of Redemption from the Lords of Session, on iath 
 August 1592. In 1603, David M'Gill of Cranston-Riddell, 
 one of the Senators of the College of Justice, was infeft in it 
 and in the patronage of St Eloy situate within the parish kirk 
 of St Giles, as heir of his father, the said David M'Gill, his 
 Majesty's Advocate. On i7th July 1619, James M'Gill of 
 Cranston-Riddell, afterwards Viscount of Oxford, father to 
 Robert Viscount of Oxford, acquired it as heir to his brother 
 David. This Robert Viscount of Oxford, got it from his 
 father in 1656, and, in 1683, conveyed it, along with the right 
 of patronage of the chaplainaiy of the altar of " St Elegens 
 the Confessor," to Andrew Crawford, Sheriff-Clerk of Linlith- 
 gow, for the sum of 14,000 merks. In 1691, the Merchant 
 Company acquired the property, with the exception of the pa- 
 tronage of St Eloy. The Disposition by Mr Crawford was 
 granted in favour of Robert Blackwood, then Master, George 
 Warrender, then Treasurer, and George Jollie, James Ritchie, 
 and the other then Assistants, and their successors in office, for 
 the use and behoof of the Company. The property is de- 
 scribed as 
 
 " All and haill the said Great Lodging or Tenement of land 
 sometime pertaining to David Ramsay of Balmain, and annalized by 
 him to the deceased Mr David M'Gill of Cranston, lying in the burgh 
 of Edinburgh, upon the south side of the high street of the Cowgate 
 
 thereof ; 
 
Merchant Company of Edinburgh. 
 
 thereof} bigged and waste, back and fore, under and above, with the 
 yard, well, close, and pertinents thereof, lying betwixt the land some- 
 time pertaining to William Hog and Jean Waldersone, thereafter to 
 the deceased Hugh M'Gill, prebender of Corstorphine, on the east ; and 
 the lands pertaining to William Anderson, thereafter to Robert Wilson, 
 and thereafter to the deceased William Speed, bailie, and an certain 
 trance regal leading to the Grayfriar Port, on the west j the arable land 
 or Croft of the Sisters of the Nuns of the Sheyns, on the south ; and 
 the high street of the Cowgate, on the north parts : And which tene- 
 ment and yard is now bounded betwixt the land of John Alexander, 
 watchmaker, and the Hammerman's land, with the King's high way 
 leading to the Society Port, on the west ; and certain houses and build- 
 ings, whereof the most part belong to the Society for brewing, of the 
 good town of Edinburgh, on the south ; the lands of Patrick Chalmers, 
 wright, and the lands of the heirs of the deceased Mr Robert Hamilton, 
 writer to the signet, with the yard belonging to James Smith, candle- 
 maker, on the east ; and the high street of the Cowgate of Edinburgh, 
 on the north parts. 
 
 The greater portion of this interesting tenement and ad- 
 joining buildings, then called Merchant Court, was sold 
 by the Company by Disposition, dated loth and i3th 
 February 1829, to the Commissioners appointed under the 
 City Improvement A61, along with the close or area, with 
 the Toofall, Stable, and other houses acquired by the Com- 
 pany in 1737, from a Mungo Graham. The price paid by 
 the Commissioners was 2541, io/. This Disposition con- 
 tains an obligation to make the titles, as far as related to the 
 subjects, not thereby conveyed, viz., Merchant Street (for- 
 merly a bowling green), forthcoming to the Company. The 
 
 property 
 
 Cowgate 
 Property 
 
 Sold in I3Z9 
 
Cowgate 
 Property 
 
 Earl of 
 Haddington 
 
 Tarn o 1 the 
 Cowgate 
 
 Historical Notes as to the 
 
 property was shortly afterwards pulled down by the Commis- 
 sioners, to make way for George IV. Biidge. 
 
 Before taking farewell of the old Merchant Hall, as to which 
 time is so rapidly wearing out all traces, vse think it right to 
 refer to some of the historical associations, in addition to those 
 above mentioned, which cluster around it, because, as has been 
 remarked by Wilson in his Memorials of Edinburgh, " If 
 we except the old Mint and the venerable chapel of St 
 Magdalene, no other site could have been chosen for the 
 new [George IV.] Bridge where their [the Commissioners] 
 proceedings would have been so destructive. On the ground 
 now occupied by its southern piers, formerly stood Merchant 
 Court, a large area, inclosed on three sides by antique buildings, 
 in a plain but massive style of architecture, and containing, in- 
 ternally, finely stuccoed ceilings, and handsome paneling, with 
 other indications of former magnificence, suitable to the 
 mansion of the celebrated Thomas Hamilton, first Earl of 
 Haddington, President of the Court of Session, and Secretary 
 of State for Scotland, the favourite of James VI., and one of the 
 most eminent men of his day. The King facetiously styled 
 this favourite, Tarn o" the Cowgate. ."* " His Majesty had the 
 custom of bestowing ridiculous sobriquets on his principal 
 counsellors and courtiers. Thus, he conferred upon that 
 grave and sagacious statesman, John Earl of Mar, the nick- 
 name 
 
 P. 107 
 
 Memorials of Edinburgh in the Olden Time, by David Wilson, F.R.S.S.A., vol. ii. 
 
Merchant Company of Edinburgh. 
 
 27 
 
 name, Jock o" Sklates, probably in allusion to some circum- 
 stance which occurred in their young days, when they 
 were the fellow-pupils of Buchanan. On hearing of a 
 meditated alliance between the Haddington and Mar families, 
 his Majesty exclaimed, betwixt jest and earnest, 'The Lord 
 haud a grup o 1 me ! If Tarn o' the Cowgate's son marry 
 Jock o' Sklate's daughter, what's to come o 1 me ? ' The 
 good-natured monarch probably apprehended that so close a 
 union betwixt two of his most subtle statesmen, might make 
 them too much for their master as hounds are most dangerous 
 when they hunt in couples."* 
 
 It is difficult, at this distant date, to obtain as satisfa&ory a 
 description of the structure and site of the building during its 
 palmy days as we could desire. According to Mr Chambers's 
 account of this " court of old buildings," " the principal 
 room on the second floor, towards the Cowgate, was a very 
 superb one, having a stucco ceiling, divided into square com- 
 partments, each of which contained some elegant device." 
 (Traditions, p. 238). Arnot, in his History of Edinburgh, does 
 not say anything about it. Nor does Maitland. Robertson is 
 also silent. Wilson's remarks we have quoted. But all ac- 
 counts are meagre. We find, amongst some old papers, two, 
 dated in 1691, which throw some light on the size and struc- 
 ture of the house. The first is a curious Inventory of Locks 
 and Keys, as follows : 
 
 " INVENTAR 
 
 Jock o' 
 
 Sklates 
 
 Interior of 
 
 Cowgate 
 
 Property 
 
 * Traditions of Edinburgh, by Robert Chambers, p. 237. 
 
Historical Notes as to the 
 
 Rooms "INVENTAR OF LOCKS AND KEYS IN LODGING, 1691 
 
 " Lonvermost Lodging, possessed by James Dun/op, 25 
 Sept. 1691. 
 
 " Hall door, a fine lock and key and a sneck. 
 A Pantry door, a new lock and key, and a sneck on a 
 
 door within. 
 
 On ye Lesser Pantry, a new lock. 
 Wester Chamber, a lock without a key, but a sneck. 
 J Closet, not a sneck and key. 
 Inner Chamber, a lock and key. 
 In door of our Gallerie, a lock without a key. 
 2 doors within Little Chamber with 2 blunt (?) snecks. 
 A lock on their Kitchen Door. 
 
 " In the Lady Castle mi Ik's Lodging. 
 
 " In the Easter Chamber to the Hall, lock and key. 
 In the Hall or Mid-room, one sneck. 
 In the Wester Room, one lock and key. 
 In the Closet at the end of the transe, one lock and key. 
 In the New Room to the Gallerie, I lock and key. 
 In the Room at the end of the Gallerie, I lock and key. 
 In the big door to the Wester Room, I sneck. 
 In the Hanging Door in the Stair, I lock and key. 
 In the Kitchen door, i lock and key. 
 In the Outer Room door to the lodging, I sneck. 
 In the Little Closet as they enter to ye Gallerie, i lock and 
 key." 
 
 The other old paper, of the same date, contains the fol- 
 lowing statement of the rents of the Cowgate property : 
 
 " Rental 
 
Merchant Company of Edinburgh. 
 
 ** Rental of the Lodging at the foot of Ltbertone^s Wynd, as 
 possestjrom Whitsunday 1691. 
 
 Patrick Chamers, wright, his Shop . 3368 
 
 Janet Craig . . . . 26 13 4 
 
 John Couper . . 38 o o 
 
 Interest of 40 for reparations a 8 o 
 
 40 
 
 William Robertson, a Cellar within the close 10 o o 
 William Hopkirk, Kitchen, Chambers, and 
 
 Cellar . . . . 66 13 4 
 
 James Dunlop, Under House and 2 Cellars 200 o o 
 Lady Castlemilk, whole Over- Lodging, 2 
 
 Cellars, and Wardrop, frae Lambas to 
 
 Whitsunday . . . 200 o o 
 
 Mr Dunlop has promised 50 merks to the 
 
 Company . . . . 33 6 8 
 
 610 8 o" 
 
 This Rental, it is curious to notice, is written on the fly- 
 leaf of an old letter, addressed on the outside 
 
 "For 
 
 Mr George Warrender, 
 Merchant in Edinburgh. 
 
 To be left at Thomas Laurie's Shop in the I.uckenbooths of 
 Edinburgh." 
 
 This Mr Warrender was a Treasurer of the Company, and 
 an ancestor of the present Baronet of that name. We give, in 
 the Appendix, an extract from Burke" s Peerage and Baronetage 
 
 as to this family. 
 
 Many 
 
 Rental 
 
 Mr Warren- 
 dcr 
 
Historical Notes as to the 
 
 Excise Office 
 
 Old Hall 
 
 Many years after the Company acquired the property, 
 they let a portion of it to the Commissioners of Excise. 
 The Commissioners, however, relinquished the right to the 
 property at Martinmas 1773. During their possession, 
 and subsequently, the tenement was called " The Excise 
 Officer 
 
 Any reader wishing to visit this old spot, may take his way 
 from George IV. Bridge, down Candlemaker Row, and, pass- 
 ing Merchant Street (formerly the Company's bowling-green), 
 he will reach the Cowgate. Turning to the right, he will 
 soon come to the Magdalene Chapel, " a curious relic of the 
 sixteenth century, belonging to the Corporation of Hammer- 
 men, and to which the body of the Earl of Argyll, after 
 his execution, June 30, 1685, was brought down and de- 
 posited, to await its removal to the family burying-place at 
 Kilmun." (Traditions, p. 238, note.} Passing it and the 
 Hammermen's Close, to the east of the Chapel, he comes to 
 some poor looking shops, close upon the spot where stood 
 the old mansion of the Earl of Haddington, afterwards the 
 Merchant Hall. Here, within the shadow of departed great- 
 ness, is nothing save squalor and poverty ; and any one of a 
 poetic mind may take his stand there and ask, without a chance 
 of a satisfa&ory answer, where are all the nobles who used to 
 flit about this spot? where the noble Earl, the favourite of 
 the King ? where Lady Crammond, Lady Castlemilk, Lord 
 Buchan, Lady Binns, and the other nobility, tenants in the Mer- 
 chant 
 
Merchant Company of Edinburgh. 
 
 chant Company buildings, who oncedwelt here in affluence ? 
 and where the noble old court of buildings, with its " su- 
 perb" second floor? And he will find that all are gone, 
 and, vision like, left not a wreck behind ! We entered a 
 wretched hovel close at hand, and asked where the Mer- 
 chant Court or Excise Office formerly stood, and received 
 for answer, " I never heard o' it : it canna be in this street"! 
 And so, we suppose, when Macaulay's New Zealander comes to 
 Princes Street to complete his Sketch Book with a view of the 
 ruins of the Register House, he may, in answer to his inquiry 
 as to where it once stood, be told, " I never heard o' it: it 
 canna be in this street." 
 
 Within a stone throw of the southern piers of George IV. 
 Bridge, or area of the old Merchant Hall, resided formerly 
 the Earl of Mar, Lord Minto, Lord Kennet, Lord Coving- 
 ton, Lady Galloway, the latter described as 
 
 " A Lady well known by her airs, 
 Who ne'er goes to revel but after her prayers !" 
 
 and many others of the nobility. Near by lived Mrs Syme, 
 whose daughter, shortly after marrying Mr Henry Broug- 
 ham, removed to 19 St Andrew Square, and gave birth, 
 in 1779, to Henry Brougham, afterwards Lord Chancellor 
 of England. The birth-place of Mackenzie, " The Man 
 of Feeling," was also close at hand. Over the way stood 
 the mansion of Sir Thomas Hope, in which the National 
 
 Covenant 
 
 Aristocratic 
 Tenants 
 
 Cowgate 
 Residenters 
 
 Lord 
 Brougham 
 
Historical Notes as to the 
 
 Covenant is supposed to have been prepared, and in which, 
 also, the Countess of Mar, daughter of the Duke of Lennox, 
 died in 1644.. Up in Brown Square, at a comparatively 
 jeanie Elliot recent period, lived Miss Jeanie Elliot, the authoress of 
 the charming version of " The Flowers of the Forest, 11 
 beginning, 
 
 " I've heard the lilting at our yowe-milking, 
 Lassies a-lilting, before the dawn of day j 
 But now they are moaning, on ilka green loaning, 
 The Flowers of the Forest are a' wede away." 
 
 But we need scarcely single out names, as every old building 
 around has its history, its noted tenants, men who were in 
 their day the lights of the city and of the country. 
 
 M'Gill David M'Gill of Cranston-Riddell, King's Advocate to 
 
 James VI., we have already shewn was proprietor of the old 
 Hall premises, and, according to Wilson's Memorials (vol. ii. p. 
 107), he is said to have died of grief on this Sir Thomas 
 Hamilton (afterwards Earl of Melrose and Haddington), being 
 appointed his colleague. 
 
 The Cowgate The Cowgate of early days was thus very different from the 
 
 Cowgate of to-day, so far as everything except its name and 
 locality are concerned ; and the Merchant Company chose for 
 their place of business one of the most aristocratic quarters of 
 the town, as the Cowgate and the Canongate were then the 
 chief places of residence for the nobility. Indeed, so early 
 
Merchant Company of Edinburgh. 
 
 33 
 
 as about 1530, the Cowgate is thus described by Alexander 
 Alesse : " Ubi nihil est humile aut rusticum, sed omnia mag- 
 nifica" ! [Where nothing is humble or homely, but every- 
 thing magnificent ! ] * 
 
 It is, therefore, not at all surprising to find in the Records, 
 that the Merchant Company were in the habit of letting 
 a portion of their premises, after the purchase, to various 
 members of the aristocracy. In 1694, a Minute states that 
 Lady Alva had taken part of it for a year, at a rent of 20 
 sterling, and paid js. as earnest money. We have already re- 
 ferred to others of the nobility who were tenants. 
 
 The Hall of the Company was not in a very complete 
 state of repair when the Company acquired it, as, in August 
 1691, " it was represented that the ceiling of the Hall was like 
 to fall down, and that it had need to be plaistered," where- 
 upon " the whole Company In one voice appoints it to be plais- 
 tered" 
 
 Connected with our old Hall property in the Cowgate was 
 a pitce of ground, afterwards converted into a bowling-green. 
 Bowls in those days were not so plentiful as now. Ten pair, 
 at a cost of 6, 4^. 3^., were obtained from abroad ! Almost 
 as much difficulty seems to have been experienced in obtaining 
 Rules as Bowls } and at a General Meeting of the Company on 
 3oth August 1697, " it being moved by some Members of the 
 
 Company, 
 
 Cowgate 
 
 Bowling- 
 Green 
 
 Bowls 
 
 Traditions of Edinburgh, p. 230. 
 
34 
 
 Historical Notes as to the 
 
 Laws of 
 Green 
 
 Allan Ramsay 
 
 Merchant 
 Street An- 
 nuities 
 
 Company, that the Company's bowling green loses many cus- 
 tomers by the tacksman wanting law s to regulate gamesters 
 and bystanders, which all other bowling greens have ; and that 
 there is a person who has the said laws written in a fair hand, 
 and is willing to sell the same for a dollar : the Company or- 
 dains the Treasurer to pay a dollar for the said laws, and de- 
 liver them to John Hislop, present tacksman, upon his receipt 
 to redeliver the same in good condition at the finish of his 
 tack ; or otherwise, to pay the foresaid price for the same." 
 This Green was at one time called Thomson's Green, it being 
 sometime tenanted by a man of that name ; and it is to it that 
 Allan Ramsay alludes in one of his poems : 
 
 " Driving their ba's frae whins to tee, 
 There's no ae gouffer to be seen, 
 Nor doucer folk wysing a-jee 
 
 The byas bowls on Tamson's Green." 
 
 This Green is shewn very distinctly on the old and inter- 
 esting plan annexed to Maitland's History of Edinburgh. 
 
 The Company's connexion with the Cowgate has not yet 
 wholly ceased, as they still receive 18, i4-f. of ground rents or 
 annuities from a portion of their old property on which Mer- 
 chant Street is built. Annuities which formerly amounted to 
 about 73, were reserved by the Company when disposing of 
 their properties in the Cowgate. This sum of 73 continued 
 till 1852 to be paid to the Company. At that time it stood 
 divided thus : 
 
 i. Various 
 
Merchant Company of Edinburgh. 
 
 35 
 
 i . Various small properties . . 5 5 
 
 
 2. Mr George Callender, for " area in the 
 
 
 old Excise Office Garden " sold to him 
 
 
 (1778) 99 
 
 
 3. Improvement Commissioners represented 
 
 
 by the Bank of Scotland, the Commer- 
 
 
 cial Bank, the Union Bank, and 
 
 
 William Bonar, on behalf of the late 
 
 
 firm of Ramsay, Bonar, & Company, 
 
 
 Bankers .... 58 6 o 
 
 
 73 o o 
 
 
 On 4th August 1852, 54, 6s. of the above sum were pur- 
 
 
 chased by the Banks from the Company at a price of 1357, 
 
 
 ioj., being 25 years purchase. 
 
 
 The Company purchased their ground on the west side of 
 
 Present Hall 
 of Company 
 
 Hunter Square in September 1788, for 1500, and erected the 
 
 
 present Merchant Hall premises upon it.* The estimated value 
 
 
 of this property is 4080, and it yields rents to the amount of 
 
 
 225, i2j. On the second floor is the Hall of the Company, 
 
 
 and in which they hold their General Meetings. It is a com- 
 
 
 modious, and might, at no great outlay, be made a hand- 
 
 
 some room. The only ornament in the Hall is the Level 
 
 
 which the present Master (Mr Lawson) used at the ceremony 
 
 
 of laying the foundation-stone at the New Post-Office. It is 
 
 
 handsomely framed in oak, and rests on blue velvet. It has a 
 
 
 melancholy 
 
 
 * As will be afterwards seen, the Company had also a place of meeting in the 
 
 
 Exchange. 
 
 
Historical Notes as to the 
 
 Present Hall 
 
 Level used at 
 New Post- 
 Oflice 
 
 melancholy interest as being so recently used at one of the last 
 public ceremonials, in which the lamented Prince-Consort took 
 part. The following inscription is upon it : 
 
 LEVEL 
 Used by the MASTER of the COMPANY of MERCHANTS, 
 
 Edinburgh, 
 At the laying of the Foundation-Stone of the New Post-Office, 
 
 Edinburgh, 
 
 By H. R. H. the PRINCE-CONSORT, 
 O&ober 23rd 1861. 
 
 At the north-west end, is a side-room in which the Master and 
 Assistants, and the Governors and Committees of the Com- 
 pany's Hospitals meet. And there is another side-room at the 
 south-west corner. However interesting the present Hall is, as 
 the scene of many a stirring discussion on public questions, it 
 is matter of surprise that such a wealthy and influential Com- 
 pany has not a more imposing place of meeting 
 
 But leaving the Halls, past and present, we take up the 
 thread of our narrative as regards the Company's actings in 
 reference to trade and other matters. 
 
 As was to be expected, the office-bearers had often, during 
 the gradual rise of the Company, besides attending to the 
 protection of their trade, to manage matters of lesser mo- 
 ment A great proportion of the trouble relating to both 
 the important and unimportant affairs of the Company fell 
 on the Treasurer. 
 
 He 
 
Merchant Company of Edinburgh. 
 
 37 
 
 He sometimes found that his duties were not very pleasant, 
 but he seems to have gone through them with much spirit. 
 At the General Meeting, on 6th December 1708, 
 
 " The Treasurer reports, that John Beg (the officer), having gone to 
 Leith with William Davidson, Town officer, to poind Mr Comlie, con- 
 form to order the I5th November last, and having offered to draw a 
 poind, were masterfully deforced and abused by the said Henry Comlie j 
 and the Treasurer, with John Arburne and Adam Lin, and two officers, 
 having gone to Leith upon another day, viz., zpth November last, in 
 order to draw a poind, or to persuade him to consign a pledge, and re- 
 fer himself to the Company, he called them 'rogues, villains, and rob- 
 bers,' and uttered several other opprobrious expressions, not only against 
 the above-named persons in particular, but also against the whole Com- 
 pany, and, lifting up a great cannon-ball, declared, * that whoever 
 offered to take any poind from him should be a dead man.' Where- 
 upon the said Henry Comlie being called in and acknowledging as to 
 the complaint, the Master ordained him instantly to find caution to com- 
 pear before the Justice of Peace Court to answer for the said complaint, 
 this day, at 3 afternoon, otherwise appointed two officers to carry him to 
 the guard until he find caution to compear, an said is, upon which he 
 found John Corstorphine, merchant, cautioner to the effedt foresaid ; 
 and the town-officer having instantly cited him to compear, the Trea- 
 surer is appointed immediately to wait upon Mr Samuel Gray, pro- 
 curator-fiscal, to draw the complaint and disburse what may be necessary, 
 and report to next meeting." 
 
 It may be mentioned, that he was fined five pounds sterling, 
 and committed to prison until he paid the same. 
 
 Illustrative of the minor matters which the Treasurer had 
 sometimes to attend to, we give the following from the Minutes 
 of zznd November 1697. The Master and Assistants, in conse- 
 quence 
 
 The Treasurer 
 
 The Treasurer 
 and the Can- 
 non Ball 
 
Historical Notes as to the 
 
 The Treasurer 
 
 The Clerk 
 
 Dean of 
 Edinburgh 
 
 quence of a communication from " Humbie, complaining that 
 his hearthstone is broken," remit to the " Treasurer to visit the 
 said hearth and try if the said reparation be necessary, as, also, 
 to try what way the hearthstone was broken." The Trea- 
 surer visited the hearthstone, but, " in his opinion, the repara- 
 tion of the hearthstone is not presently necessary." 
 
 As the business of the Company was increasing, they 
 resolved, in September 1684, to fix some allowance to the 
 Clerk 5 and in the following month (although the Clerk does 
 not appear to have become clamorous), the Master and 
 Assistants appointed the Treasurer, in the meantime, for the 
 Clerk's encouragement, to insure him in as much " money as 
 will mount him in a sufficient suit, with hat and stocking, 
 till they consider further what he shall have conform to the 
 remit from the General Meeting." The Company had a 
 partiality for thus rewarding services, as, shortly afterwards, 
 they ordained Hugh Blair, one of their number, to furnish 
 the Dean of Edinburgh with " six ells of fine black cloth for a 
 gown, and for which the said Hugh Blair is to have from 
 the Company twenty shillings sterling the ell, if it be paid 
 within twelve months, but if it happen to be any longer 
 resting, the price is to be augmented at the discretion of the 
 Company conform to the time." 
 
 The Minutes of the Company about this time are expressed 
 with much brevity, and readers are not, therefore, surprised to 
 find Robert Russell appointed interim clerk " in respect, Daniel 
 
 M'Pherson, 
 
Merchant Company of Edinburgh. 
 
 39 
 
 M'Pherson, Clerk to the Merchant Company, is departed this 
 life." And again, at a later period, viz., in the Minutes of 
 September 1704, Walter Cheislie is stated to be elected Preses 
 of that sederunt, " in absence of the Master, who is over the 
 water to the interment of his father-in-law ! " 
 
 From the very outset of the Company, it received many sub- 
 stantial tokens of goodwill in the shape of donations to the 
 funds, not only from Members, but from strangers onne6t.ed 
 with them by trade in Manchester, London, and elsewhere ; 
 and these strangers were frequently made Members of the 
 Company. The Donors each received a Diploma, as to which 
 great care was shewn. Thus we read as follows in regard to 
 one of these (Minute, nth October 1697) : 
 
 " The Clerk informs that he has made ready a Diploma for Michael 
 Kincaid, who has already *one for London ; and seeing the persons 
 that was employed likeways in writing this Diploma, the said Clerk 
 demands to know if this Diploma be fine enough for sending to Lon- 
 don, for, in his own opinion, neither the parchment nor write is so 
 good as were requisite to send abroad. Which being considered by the 
 Master and Assistants, they order the Clerk to cause make a new 
 Diploma for the said Michael Kincaid upon finer parchment, and writ 
 by a finer hand ; and the same being put in best dress that may be, the 
 Clerk is ordered to deliver the same to the Treasurer, who is appointed 
 to take care to transmit it to his hand with all convenient diligence." 
 
 The Company shewed a good deal of shrewdness as to 
 these donations, as a Diploma put in " best dress" was fre- 
 quently presented blank in the sum, and the amount was 
 
 filled 
 
 Brevity of 
 Minutes 
 
 Donations 
 
 Diploma 
 
4 o 
 
 Historical Notes as to the 
 
 Donations 
 
 filled in at the donor's dictation. It may readily be sup- 
 posed that the fine appearance of the Diploma would occasion- 
 ally tempt the gift of a larger sum than was at first intended. 
 The following is a copy of a sealed Diploma to a resident 
 Member, acknowledging a donation : 
 
 " Edinburgh, the twentieth day of Julie, one thousand six hundereth 
 
 and nyntie-one years. 
 
 " John Duncan, Merchant, Burges and Guild Brother of the City of 
 Edinburgh, was matriculat and admitted in the Societie and Company 
 of Merchants, to enjoy the liberties and privileges thereof. As, also, 
 in the year one thousand six hundereth and nynty-two years, the said 
 John Duncan payed into Walter Cheislie, their Treasurer, the sum of 
 one hundereth merks, Scots, as the voluntar donation to the said Com- 
 pany. Extracted forth of the Records of the said Company, and their 
 common seall appended by R. RUSSELL, C/s. Societal;*." 
 
 At a date considerably later than that of which we now 
 write, it was still common to give such donations. Thus, 
 from 1768 to 1819, we find the following amongst many 
 others: 
 
 1768 Sir Laurence Dundas, Bart. 
 
 1769 Mr Beech . 
 
 1781 James Hunter Blair, Esq. 
 
 1789 William Ramsay, Esq. of Barntt,n 
 
 1794 Walter Hogg, Esq. 
 
 1798 James Gillespie, Esq. of Spylaw . 
 
 1819 Andrew Mein, Esq. . 
 
 * 
 
 300 o 
 
 140 II 
 
 100 O 
 
 105 
 
 100 
 
 500 o 
 
 d. 
 
 o 
 
 9 
 
 o 
 
 o o 
 o o 
 o 
 
 In the year 1693, the Company acquired a legacy of 3500 
 
 Scots, 
 
Merchant Company of Edinburgh. 
 
 Scots, left by " the deceased David Aitkenhead, Merchant in 
 Poland ; " and it was paid over by Sir Patrick Aitkenhead, 
 " Comisar " Clerk of Edinburgh, nephew of the donor, to 
 the Company, for the maintenance of a poor decayed Member 
 of the Company, " if there be any such of the said Company, 
 and if not," then to others as then mentioned. It says much 
 for the position of the Company and the individual Members, 
 that when the interest on this sum first became payable, there 
 was " no one of the said Company or Society of Merchants for 
 the time that stands in need of the benefit of this present 
 mortification."" 
 
 According to custom, a notice of this donation was ordered 
 to be put on the wall of the Hall, and in these terms : 
 
 " DAVID AITKENHEAD, Merchant in Poland, son of the deceased 
 Mr Thomas Aitkenhead, Advocate, and one of the Comisars of Edin- 
 burgh, out of a special respect for that Citie, wherein many of his pre- 
 decessors had been chief Magistrates, Did mortifie 3500 pounds Scots 
 to be bestowed for any pious use within the same : which sum was 
 paid to the Merchant Company on the 2nd of August 1693, By Sir 
 Patrick Aitkenhead, Comisar Clerk of Edinburgh, nephew to the said 
 deceased David, for maintaining decayed Merchants, conform to a con- 
 tract thereanent passed betwixt the said Sir Patrick and the Merchant 
 Company, which Contract is registrat in the Comisar of Edinburgh, 
 their Court books, upon the gth of March 1696." 
 
 The Aitkenhead Mortification is valued at 250 ; and a 
 sum of 14, ios.y as the interest of the same, is still paid to a 
 decayed member. 
 
 In 
 
 Aitkenhead's 
 Mortification 
 
Historical Notes as to the 
 
 Armcvial 
 Bearings 
 
 In July 1693 the Company, in terms of their Aft, obtained 
 a Coat of Arms. The following is an extraft of the Masonry 
 of this Coat Armorial : 
 
 " To all and sundry whom these presents do or may concerne, I, 
 Sir Alexander Erskine of Cambo, Knight and Baronet, Lyon King of 
 Armes, Considering that by the twenty-one Adi of the third session of 
 the second Parliament of King Charles the Second, of ever blessed 
 memory, I am empowered to visit the whole armes of Noblemen, Pre- 
 lates, Barons, and Gentlemen within this kingdom, and to distinguish 
 them with congruent differences, and to matriculate the same in my 
 Books and Registers, and to give armes tv> vertuous and well-deserveing 
 persons, and extracts of all armes, expressing the Blason thereof, under 
 my hand and seall of office, Which Register is by the said Aft ordained 
 to be respected as the true and unrepealable Rule of all Armes and bear- 
 ings in Scotland, to remain with the Lyon office as the publick Register 
 of the Kingdom : Therefore, conform to the tenor of the said Aft of 
 Parliamenr, I testify and make known that the Armes allowed by me 
 to the Company of Merchants in Edinburgh is matriculat in my said 
 Publick Register, upon the day and date of these presents, and is thus 
 blasoned, viz.: Argent, in the Sea a ship under saill proper flagged 
 of Scotland, a cheif tierced per pale azur, vert, and argent In the first 
 a St Andrew's Cross argent, charged with a Thistle vert, and over it a 
 Crown or, In the second, two Ells in Saltyre or, and from a cloud 
 above a hand issuant and holding a pair of Ballances proper In the 
 thrid, a Castle tripled towred sable. Their crest set above the sheild is 
 a Sphere, with this motto in an Escroll Terra marique supported by two 
 Sea Unicorns. Which armes the said Company of Merchants in Edin- 
 burgh may cause ingrave upon their sealls or cause be otherwayes repre- 
 sented for the use of the said Company. In testimony whereof I have 
 subscrived this extraft, and caused append my seall of office hereto, Att 
 Edinburgh, the twentie-fourth day of July, and of the reigne of our 
 
 Soveraigne 
 
Merchant Company of Edinburgh. 
 
 Soveraigne Lord and Lady, King William and Queen Mary, the fyfth 
 year, 1693. (Signed), " ALEXR. ERSKINE, Lyon." 
 
 The Company, in virtue of the powers given them by their 
 Charter, exerted their best efforts to prevent unlawful trading 
 in the city. Occasionally, however, such was carried on 
 stealthily, until, by some unlucky indiscretion on the part of 
 the offender, it was discovered. Thus, in 1697, it is reported 
 by the Treasurer 
 
 " That an unfreewoman, named Mary Flackfield, being a Glasgow 
 woman, har gone thro' Edinburgh for a considerable time, from house 
 to house, with great quantities of muslin plaids and other merchants 
 wares, and having come at last to the said Treasurer's house with four 
 plaids, offering to sell the same, he seized tha said plaids, and produced 
 them instantly at the Board j and the said Mary Flackfield being pre- 
 sent did acknowledge her trading as said is, and submit herself to the 
 Company's determination} which being considered by the Master and 
 Assistants, they ordain the said Mary Flackfield to pay to the Stid 
 Treasurer the sum of twenty pounds Scots ; and appoints the Treasurer 
 to keep the plaids till the said sum is paid." 
 
 Mary, however, did not quietly submit to this penalty ; on 
 the contrary, in January 1698, she petitioned for pardon, in 
 respecl that she had an aged mother to support j and the 
 Company, with its usual liberality, granted it. 
 
 The Company had sometimes difficulty in obtaining pay- 
 ment of the dues and fines, and they had occasionally to take 
 curious kinds of security for th'em. Thus, in the Minutes of 
 igth November 1698, we read, that "William Lamb being 
 
 presented, 
 
 43 
 
 Unlawful 
 Trading 
 
44 
 
 Historical Notes as to the 
 
 Mrs Chal- 
 mers's Web, 
 Widowhood, 
 and Marriage 
 
 Lawyers 
 
 presented, he desired that, seeing he has not ready money to 
 pay what he is resting, the Company therefore may be pleased 
 to accept of three butts of good sack, which he has in hand, and 
 in Leith, in security of their money."" The sack was accepted, 
 but was afterwards (i6th January 1699) ordered to be sold. 
 
 Captain Chalmers and his wife were both troublesome 
 people, about the year 1700. It is ordered, in September, in 
 reference to a web detained in security of dues owing by the 
 late Captain Chalmers, that " his relick be spoke to and re- 
 quired to pay what her husband owes, and take back the 
 said web." Looking through the subsequent Minutes with 
 mournful feelings to ascertain the fate of this widow's web, the 
 reader is startled by coming upon the following entry in O6lo- 
 ber 1701 : " Mrs Chalmers sent an excuse that she married 
 yesterday night, and so cannot coveniently attend this day to 
 relieve the web, but that she will be ready against next 
 meeting} in respecT: whereof, the rouping of her web is de- 
 layed till she be of new warned." 
 
 The Merchant Company, unlike some other corporations, 
 do not appear to have expressly excluded lawyers from enter- 
 ing the Company ; and, in point of fac~t, a number did enter. 
 Thus, on 1 8th February 1697, "Charles Mitchell, Writer in 
 Edinburgh, as also Burgess and Gild Brother, hereof, per 
 ticket, dated the i4th of August 1695, subscribed the book 
 and paid his dues to the Treasurer j and thereafter, having 
 given his promise of fidelity, was admitted as a member." 
 
 Several 
 
Merchant Company of Edinburgh. 
 
 45 
 
 Several of the Writers who entered, appear to have been also 
 merchants. 
 
 A very long memorial was prepared in 1703 by the Com- 
 pany, as to importing and wearing prohibited goods. It con- 
 tained the following curious account of the trials and troubles 
 of Edinburgh Merchants : 
 
 " Edinburgh is the chief centre and city of the kingdom for the 
 main transactions of trade, and (by a common mistake) is presumed to 
 be the place where reformation must begin ; and therefore at making 
 prohibitory laws on trade, all rigour and severity is used there, while the 
 whole nation beside goes free. And those Merchants alenarly are haras- 
 sed, while the wearers and all others gae free and uncontrolled through 
 another mistake that if the Merchants be narrowly looked after, the 
 laws will be effectual ; and yet we have found by experience, that unless 
 the wearing be restrained all other endeavours will be to no purpose, 
 for the ready finding of buyers and wearers does alenarly tempt strangers 
 and smuglers to import, yea it is known that some of the Society of 
 Prosecutors are in the transgression for wearing prohibite goods in their 
 families, and have been detected heretofore, but never punished. 
 
 *' Amongst all the crowd of tiansgressors which have been attacqued 
 or are known, the Merchants of Edinburgh are few, not above three or 
 four, and the latest too, and have been forced to it through the ruin of 
 their trade and livlyhood by the vast import and consumption of pro- 
 hibite goods as is already observed, and the importers and sellers are 
 either unfree, strangers, and smuglers, or the servants of noblemen and 
 gentlemen, and some even gentlemen and ladies themselves, who are 
 protected against the law by the means of persons of dignity and in 
 power, and some favourable excuse made in their favors, or some other 
 shift to bring them off. 
 
 " In prosecution of the laws, the Merchants are at random harassed by 
 pursuits, and many brought under bonds of ane unaccountable nature, 
 
 and 
 
 Trials and 
 Troubles of 
 Edinburgh 
 Merchants 
 
Historical Notes as to the 
 
 Trials and 
 Troubles of 
 Edinburgh 
 Merchants 
 
 and unprofitable, and were denied the common favour of ane oath of 
 calumny, till by much pains and expenses they obtained ane Interlocu- 
 tor thereon by the Honourable Lords of Sessione in their favours, and 
 the Society of Prosecutors being thereafter straitned in many of their 
 processes to give the oath of calumny, have hired a common fellow on 
 weekly pensione, to depone in all processes ; a most unchristian and 
 unheard of practise, and the delegates of this society have at their own 
 hands, without consent of their constituents who payed the fund of 
 money, appointed a third part of all free funds to be given to the ma- 
 nagers of the process, although they undertook the work gratis for a 
 common benefite, which demonstrates how they chiefly designed their 
 own private profits, both in your pretended silk manufactories, and 
 prosecuting the laws. 
 
 " The Merchants lye exposed to rude and libertine searching and 
 overturning of their shops and houses upon a general and summar war- 
 rant, without any previous process or cognition taken of a just cause for 
 so doing \ and though found free of prohibite goods, are yet abused by 
 being at pleasure put upon oath to answer various and dubious prying 
 questions never before allowed, without being examined on or allowed 
 to give such a genuine, plain, and conscionable answer as might satisfy 
 any but inquisitors, and have no favour allowed them but the oath of 
 calumny of this common hired swearer. 
 
 " At searches they are often brought under difficulties by having 
 their sealed goods carried oft" and the sealls broke or defaced by rough 
 handling, or are sometimes so unluckie as to have goods that were 
 sealed, and the seal broke or defaced, and in none of these cases is 
 there any favour to ym agt the rigour and letter of the law, tho' 
 the antiquity and fashion of the goods plainly tells that they have not 
 been unlawfully imported; nor are they allowed redress for spuilzie 
 when their lawful goods are carried away without being measured. 
 Yea, they have no certainty but that a pack of ruffians may attacque 
 their shop (when there is only a servant within) on a pretended war- 
 rant to search for prohibite goods. 
 
 "The 
 
Merchant Company of Edinburgh. 
 
 " The Merchants are also exposed to unreasonable and expensive pro- 
 cesses for goods found in yr custody, whereof the very like are made 
 in the kingdom, although they be bought at home, and that the pos- 
 sessor was made accessary to unlawful importane, and on they are put 
 to oath on various inquisitory and extraneous questions without being 
 allowed the reasonable demand of a legall probatione to be led against 
 them on the goods; and by this practice are exposed to all imaginable 
 hardships and inconveniences, and the innocent doo often run the 
 hazard of unlawful swearing, or be contemned by consequences. 
 
 " And notwithstanding of this rigour against Merchants, these pro- 
 secutors must acknowledge that the wearing and using of these pro- 
 hibite goods is almost universall and without controle, albeit probatione 
 can be easily adduced against the transgressors without any oaths, and 
 there has been little or no attempts against the servants of noblemen 
 and gentlemen, and some gentlemen and ladies themselves, for impor- 
 tation, except in a very few instances which were had up, and then let 
 fall at the desire of some great man or other, notwithstanding of the 
 certificatione against connivers. 
 
 " Yea, some Collonels of Regiments have provided the cloathing, at 
 least of y r Officers, in England, and yet are free as is commonly re- 
 ported. 
 
 " And therefore, if the Parliament doo not think fitt to rescind the 
 laws against silk, hair, and cotton, but will hear non-proposals of 
 additions thereto, it is humbly and earnestly begged that they will 
 seriously consider what is above represented, and the reasonableness of 
 the demands of the Merchants." 
 
 Notwithstanding the fines for non-attendance, the Assistants 
 were occasionally absent from meetings, and those present, 
 after waiting about an hour, generally adjourned, first taking 
 care to order the absentees to be poinded. A seemingly very 
 good mode of securing punctual attendance at meetings was 
 
 fallen 
 
 47 
 
 Trials and 
 Troubles of 
 Edinburgh 
 Merchants 
 
 Attendance at 
 Meetings 
 
4 8 
 
 Historical Notes as to the 
 
 Excuses 
 
 Great Fire 
 
 fallen on in 1704, as we read in the Minutes of the Master 
 and Assistants, on 25th September 1704: 
 
 " That the Master, Treasurer, and haill Assistants present, with the 
 Clerk, are of opinion, nomine contradicente, that the consigning ot 
 money will be more efficacious to oblige all due attendance than the 
 signing of a Bond, and therefore resolve, that at the next sederunt the 
 Master, Treasurer, and Clerk shall each of them consign 5, I2j., and 
 each Assistant 2, 165.5 an< ^ that at every sederunt thereafter the 
 Master, Treasurer and Clerk shall, when present, get out 145. each of 
 them, and each Assistant present 75. ; and that the dividend falling due 
 to them, as said is, shall, when they are absent without tymous and 
 relevant excuse, be forfeited and put into the sero-box. And it is 
 farther resolved and agreed, that when the first consignment shall be 
 exhausted, they shall renew the same, according to the proportion and 
 to the ends aoove written. 
 
 Assistants occasionally sent excuses of their non-attendance 
 at meetings, on the ground of their being absent in London. 
 The journey in those days must have been a serious matter, as 
 the mail-coach, about the year 1700, took 131 hours to go to 
 London. 
 
 On the night of the 3rd of February 1700, a great fire took 
 place at the north-east corner of the Meal Market, and all the 
 great pile of buildings on the east and south sides of the Par- 
 liament Square or Close, with the Exchange, were burned to 
 the ground. Some of the National Records were lost or de- 
 stroyed on the occasion. It was computed that about 200 
 families were dislodged by this disaster. Many of the Mem- 
 bers of the Company suffered by it. Accordingly, at the Meet- 
 ing 
 
Merchant Company of Edinburgh. 
 
 49 
 
 ing of the Master and Assistants on the i9th February 1700, 
 it is reported that there had been no Meeting since the 2oth 
 January, "in consequence of the great fire, by which several 
 concerned had their houses and shops, at least one of them, 
 burnt and destroyed." 
 
 On 24th April 1700, the Town Council having passed an 
 Aft against immorality, and the Company " finding themselves 
 in duty bound to do likewise, 1 ' specially referred to this fire in 
 the following Resolution : 
 
 " Att Edinburgh, the twenty-ninth day of May 1700 years. The 
 which day the General Meeting of the Merchant Company of Edr. 
 considering the great growth of Immoralities of all sorts, and the fear- 
 ful rebuke of God by a dreadful fyre in the Parliament Close, Kirk- 
 hewgh, and Cowgate, which happened the third day of February last, 
 and other tokens of wrath lately come upon the city, and moved with 
 the zeal of God and the tyes he hath laid on them, and that they have 
 taken upon them to appear for him in their stations, Doe in the Lord's 
 strength, Resolve to be more watchful over their hearts and ways than 
 formerly, and each of them in their several capacities to Reprove vyce 
 with due zeal and prudence as they shall have occasion, and to endea- 
 vour to promote the vigorous execution of these good laws made for the 
 suppressing of vyce and punishing of the vicious j and the said Company 
 appoints their Clerk to read or move the reading hereof every Quarterly 
 Meeting in tyme coming, under the penalty of twenty merks toties 
 
 The Treasurer appears to have had considerable powers, as, 
 at a General Meeting on 3oth November 1702, he reports 
 having seemingly without any special authority borrowed 
 800 from George Watson, the Treasurer of the Maiden 
 
 Hospital 
 
 Aft against 
 Immorality 
 
 The Trea- 
 surer 
 
5 
 
 Historical Notes as to the 
 
 Burgess's 
 Daughters 
 
 Clothiers 
 
 Papers to be 
 booked 
 
 Hospital. This George Watson was the founder of the 
 Hospital of that name. 
 
 On 6th September 1703, it is unanimously agreed, that 
 whatever young women, being Burgess's Daughters, have paid 
 or shall pay their consignation as Merchant Traders, and from 
 that time have paid and shall pay their quarter dues, if these 
 women shall thereafter marry, their husbands shall not be 
 obliged to pay their dues of upset unless they please, but shall 
 have the benefit of their wives' consignation. 
 
 Although the united businesses of cloth merchant and 
 tailor are now met with on every hand, the amalgamation 
 of them caused at first much complaint. On 2$rd O&ober 
 1 704, several members complain to a General Meeting " that 
 their trade is almost ruined and taken out of their hands by 
 unfreemen and women who have no privilege, and partly by 
 tailors, who ought either to give over trade in merchandise, or 
 to lay aside their calling as tailors. The Company authorize 
 the Master and Assistants to convene before the Dean of Guild 
 and his Court, such tailors as they know trade in merchan- 
 dise, to the end that they may be obliged either to quit the same, 
 or their calling as tailors." 
 
 In O6lober 1697, the Master and Assistants being of opi- 
 nion, " that it may be of dangerous consequence to the Com- 
 pany to take their receipts, discharges, and other writs on 
 loose papers, which are apt to be lost ; appointed all such to be 
 written in a book, in all time coming. 1 ' It is much to be 
 
 regretted 
 
Merchant Company of Edinburgh. 
 
 regretted that this order was not better observed ; as, had it 
 been, copies of many interesting papers conne&ed with the early 
 history of the Company, now lost, would have been extant. 
 
 At the same Meeting, " the said Master and Assistants 
 being of opinion, that the said receipts and discharges should 
 be writ by the Clerk to the Company : they, therefore, recom- 
 mend to the Treasurer to cause inform the Clerk whenever he 
 may have occasion to pay out money or take receipts or dis- 
 charges, to the end the same may be writ by the Clerk." 
 
 On ist February 1699, " in a Meeting of the Master and 
 Assistants, called pro re nata, for ele&ing four children to 
 be presented by them to the Maiden Hospital," the mother of 
 one of the children " compeared personally with her said child, 
 and declares solemnly that she is not able to maintain and edu- 
 cate the said child." It was customary for the parents or friends 
 thus to attend. 
 
 At the same meeting, it was " ordered that John Baly, warn 
 the hail Members of this Company to meet at the Plainstones 
 before Bailie Bowden's shop, to-morrow, a quarter before two 
 in the afternoon, to go in a body, with the Master, to James 
 Blackwood's spouse's burial, at Bristo, and that under the 
 penalty of fourteen shillings Scots, for each person that shall be 
 warned and not attend, and that they be acquainted to be in 
 mournings." 
 
 The Company, owing to their position, had very easy access 
 to the Scots Parliament. Of this we give an illustration. On 
 
 1 4th 
 
 Clerk to write 
 Receipts, &c. 
 
 Presentations 
 to Maiden 
 Hospital 
 
 Attendance at 
 Funerals 
 
Historical Notes as to the 
 
 Company and 
 Parliament 
 
 i^th August 1704, the Master reported that he had " given 
 in to the Lord Register" a Representation as to Trade, agreed 
 to at last meeting ; " and the same being called for in Parlia- 
 ment by Sir Patrick Johnston, was read, and the masters of the 
 silk manufaftories ordained to see and answer the same ; who 
 having given in their answers, the Representation and an- 
 swers are now lying before the Parliament." The meeting 
 recommended to the Master and Treasurer, and such of the 
 Assistants or other Members as they should call, to speak further 
 to the Members of Parliament, and press the reading of the 
 said Representation. 
 
 On zist August 1704., the Master presented the draft of an 
 A61 of Parliament, discharging the wearing of all manufac- 
 tured silk, hair, and cotton, whether imported from abroad 
 or manufaftured at home $ which being read, it was recom- 
 mended to the Master, and such as he shall think fit, to call 
 with him, to let Sir David Cunningham see the same, that he 
 may put such amendments thereon as he shall think fit, before 
 it be presented in Parliament ; and advise with the said Sir 
 David, if it be necessary that there should be a draft of 
 another A61 prepared and presented, allowing the import and 
 wearing of all manufaftured silk, hair, and cotton, so that 
 whichever of the two alternatives contained in the Merchants' 
 Representation the Parliament shall most incline to go into, 
 there may be an Aft drafted and presented, to answer the 
 same j as, also, that the Master advise with the said Sir David, 
 
 if 
 
Merchant Company of Edinburgh. 
 
 53 
 
 if it be necessary to draw replies to the answers given in by 
 the masters of the silk manufactories. 
 
 On 28th August 1704, the Master reported he had seen 
 Sir David Cunningham, who drew out an A61 allowing the 
 import and wearing of silk, hair, and cotton manufactures, 
 and did also see the A6t formerly drawn discharging the 
 same j both which were transferred, and clear doubles thereof 
 given in to the several Members of Parliament ; but the same 
 are not yet brought in to be considered in Parliament. As, 
 also, he reports that Sir David thought it needless to draw any 
 reply to the answers given in by the masters of the silk 
 manufactories. 
 
 We have quoted sufficient to shew the close communication 
 betwixt Parliament and the Company. 
 
 Though Unfreemen were ating injuriously to the Company, 
 Members were unwilling to come forward openly and in- 
 form against them. A happy idea, however, suggested itself; 
 and at a meeting of the Company, held 9th June 1701, it 
 
 " Overtured, that several regulations might be made in trade, and 
 several abuses committed therein might be rectified, had all Members 
 freedom to signify their mind and give information, without disobliging 
 their particular friends and neighbours : And a motion being made, 
 that a box be bought, with lock and key, and a slit in the head thereof, 
 for receiving in writ, what any Members shall have to signify and in- 
 form towards the end foresaid, the said motion was approven of, and 
 the Treasurer appointed to buy the box : And it is recommended to all 
 
 M em bers 
 
 Company and 
 Parliament 
 
 Unfreemen 
 
54 
 
 Historical Notes as to the 
 
 Unfreemen 
 
 New Members 
 
 Members of this Society, who shall have anything to inform for regu- 
 lation of trade or rectifying abuses, or that anyways may tend for the 
 good of this Company, to put the same in writing, and give it in to the 
 box, either at this meeting, or at any other meeting of Master and As- 
 sistants, or of the haill Company : And for preventing the detecting of 
 the person informer, it is ordained, that at every meeting for some time 
 to come every person present shall, in order as they sit, give in a paper 
 to the said box, whether writ or unwrit." 
 
 It was frequently the custom for a Merchant who had not 
 yet become a Burgess, and so was not entitled to admission into 
 the Company, to pay, when called upon, his entry dues, but 
 not to be formally received as a Member, or to be allowed to 
 sign the record of entrants, until he obtained his Burgess 
 Ticket. A considerable interval sometimes elapsed betwixt 
 the date of payment and of admission ; and confusion was 
 often the consequence. To obviate this in someway, it was, 
 at a meeting held on 3rd January 1698, enacted and or- 
 dained, 
 
 " That in all time coming, when any Merchant enters to the Com- 
 pany who is entered Surges, his ticket be produced as formerly to the 
 Clerk, who is to write thereon the day of that person's paying his dues, 
 entering, and being matriculate, and sign the same. And where any 
 person consigns his dues, not being Burges, the Clerk is to give a line 
 under his hand bearing the time of his consignation j and the Com- 
 pany declare that, from and after the date of the said payments, the 
 persons entering, as said is, shall be liable for their quarter dues, and not 
 otherways [but they could not vote till they were Burgesses, and 
 signed the book January 1700]; and seeing that this is a new 
 trouble to the Clerk, they are of opinion that he may demand of each 
 entrant half a merk above the former dues." 
 
 The 
 
Merchant Com f any of Edinburgh. 
 
 55 
 
 The praftice of writing the certificate of entry on the back 
 of the Burgess Ticket still continues. 
 
 In 1726, the Company, who were now in the custom of 
 meeting in the Council House (having let their property in the 
 Cowgate), purchased a property in the "high Exchange," 
 for a public hall. On 8th August 1751, the Company 
 agreed to sell this property to the town to make way for new 
 buildings j and on the aist of July 1752, there was a gene- 
 ral meeting "called at the desire of the Lord Provost, who 
 wanted this opportunity of laying before the Members the plans 
 of the buildings proposed to be erefted on the north side of the 
 street at the Cross, and on the ruins upon the south side of the 
 Parliament Close. . . . And his Lordship having come to 
 the meeting, he laid before them the plans of the foresaid build- 
 ings, whereby it is intended to remove the front of the build- 
 ings to be raised on the north side of the street at the Cross,a con- 
 venient space backwards, and to have a handsome Exchange 
 or public forum " and various other important buildings. And 
 " his Lordship acquainted the meeting . . . that as the city 
 revenue was not sufficient for answering so great an expense . 
 . . it was proposed that the expense should be partly defrayed 
 by sums raised by voluntary contributions. . . That as the 
 Merchant Company was a very numerous body, and composed 
 of many of the considerable trading burgesses of the city, to 
 whose accommodation some part of what was proposed chiefly 
 tended, he had judged it proper to lay the plans before them." 
 
 The 
 
 Old and New 
 Exchange 
 
56 
 
 Historical Notes as to the 
 
 
 The Company, having considered this statement, agreed to 
 
 
 subscribe towards the ereftion of the Exchange, not from 
 
 
 the funds of the Company, but out of "their own private 
 
 
 pockets."* 
 
 Sale of Old 
 
 On z6th December 1753, at a meeting in the "British 
 
 Exchange 
 Property 
 
 Coffeehouse," the completion of the sale of the old Exchange 
 
 
 property was reported, and the Treasurer laid before the meet- 
 
 
 ing an extradt Aft of Council in favour of the Company, as 
 
 
 part of the above transaction, which was read, and which the 
 
 
 Master and Assistants appointed to be engrossed in this minute, 
 
 
 whereof the tenor follows: 
 
 Company to 
 
 " Edinburgh, the 6th of December 1752 years, the which day the 
 
 meet in 
 the Town 
 
 Lord Provost, Magistrates, and Council, with the Deacons of Crafts, 
 
 Chambers 
 
 ordinary and extraordinary, of the city of Edinburgh, being in council as- 
 
 
 sembled, Treasurer Fairholme reported that on Friday last he had attended 
 
 
 a meeting with the Master and Assistants of the Merchant Company anent 
 
 
 the payment of seventy-three pounds sterling, as the price for the old Ex- 
 
 
 change purchased by the city, when he found there was no Act of Coun- 
 
 
 cil empowering him to make such payment, altho' the Disposition which 
 
 
 is signed and extended, bears the foresaid price to be payed by the late 
 
 
 Treasurer Mr Sands j which having been considered by the Magistrates 
 
 
 and Council, They, with the Extraordinary Deacons, authorized Mr 
 
 
 Fairholme, City Treasurer, to pay the foresaid sum of 73, and to take 
 
 
 credit therefor in his Accompts. The same day the Treasurer further 
 
 
 represented that at the time of making the foresaid purchase, it was 
 
 
 amongst other things agreed upon to accommodate the Merchant Com- 
 
 
 pany 
 
 
 * The foundation stone of the Royal Exchange was laid on ijth September 1753. 
 
 
 The building, including the area, cost ^31,000. 
 
Merchant Company of Edinburgh. 
 
 57 
 
 pany in some one or other of the City's publick places or rooms for the 
 Company's meetings, in all time thereafter, free of any charges, as ap- 
 pears by the Council's minutes, of date the Qth day of August last, 
 albeit the same was not specially enacted by the said minute : Which 
 having been considered by the Magistrates and Council, they, with the 
 extraordinary Deacons, did, and hereby do, consent and agree, to accom- 
 modate the said Company at all their meetings in time coming, with 
 the use of some one or other of the City's publick places or rooms free 
 of any expense, and appointed an Extract of these presents to be de- 
 livered to the Preses of the Merchant Company. 
 
 " Extracted upon this and the preceding page furth of the Council 
 Records of the said City by "Jo. G. WILLIAMSON." 
 
 Down to the year 1734, the Company had confined their at- 
 tention solely to the management of their own trade, the super- 
 intendence of the hospitals, and the relief of their poor. They 
 now, however, commenced to take part in a wider field, and, 
 from this time downwards, the history of the Company, as re- 
 gards questions of general public importance, may be said to be 
 the history of the city itself. Owing to the great influence of 
 the Company the various measures supported by them were very 
 generally successful ; and many attempts were made to secure 
 their countenance and support in matters also of lesser moment. 
 It would, however, tire our readers were we particularly to advert 
 to the numerous public questions referred to in the Records ; but 
 for the sake of after reference we shall note some of them. We 
 may premise that the whole proceedings of the Company in re- 
 lation to the admission of members, the protection of its trade, 
 the creation and management of its charities, and the part it took 
 
 Place of Meet- 
 ing of Com- 
 pany provided 
 by Town 
 
 Company 
 begin to take 
 part in gene- 
 ral Matters 
 
Historical Notes as to the 
 
 Company 
 Records 
 
 in public questions, have, with the exception of the years from 
 1714. to 1725 (of which no written records are preserved), 
 been recorded in the Minutes of the Company, down to the 
 present time; and the Records, therefore, offer most tempting 
 pages from which to quote. 
 
 The Minutes of the Company are contained in the Record 
 of Entrants before alluded to, and the fifteen following 
 volumes : 
 
 VOL. I. From 1696 to 1704 
 
 VOL. II. From 170410 1714 
 
 VOL. III. (defective to 1733) From I 7 1 4 to J 74^ 
 
 VOL. IV From 174610 1767 
 
 VOL. V. From 1767 to 1783 
 
 VOL. VI .. From 1783 to 1802 
 
 VOL. VII. From 1^02 to 1813 
 
 VOL. VIII. From 1813 to 1819 
 
 VOL. IX From 181910 1825 
 
 VOL. X. From 1825 to 1829 
 
 VOL. XI From 182910 1834 
 
 VOL. XII. From 183410 1839 
 
 VOL. XIII From 1839 to 1847 
 
 VOL. XIV From 1847 to 1854 
 
 VOL. XV. _ From 1854 to 1862 
 
 One of the matters which engaged the Company, so far 
 back as 1687, sounds not unlike that which agitated the Com- 
 pany within the last few months, and in which Sir William 
 Johnston did such good service : " The Company appoints 
 application to be made to the Magistrates for taking off the 
 imposition on shops for cleansing of the streets." 
 
 The 
 
Merchant Company of Edinburgh. 
 
 59 
 
 The Company, in March 1734, petition the Committee of 
 the Convention of the Royal Burghs, in favour of summary 
 diligence on bills being allowed, as well for the expenses of 
 that diligence as for the principal sum and interest. 
 
 The year 1736 was an eventful one in Edinburgh, as it was 
 in September that the murder of Captain Porteous took place 
 in the Grassmarket, an occurrence which is described so vividly 
 in Sir Walter Scott's famous Heart of Mid-Lothian. The 
 Company did their utmost to defend Edinburgh against the 
 unjust aspersions levelled at it by the Government. As is well 
 known, Queen Caroline was so indignant when she heard of 
 the riot and murder, that it is reported Her Majesty " in the 
 height of her displeasure, told the celebrated John Duke of 
 Argyll, that sooner than submit to such an insult, she would 
 make Scotland a hunting field." " In that case, Madame," 
 answered that high-spirited nobleman, with a profound bow, 
 " I will take leave of your Majesty, and go down to my own 
 country to get my hounds ready." The import of this reply, 
 continues Sir Walter, had " more than met the ear j and as 
 most of the Scottish nobility and gentry seemed actuated by 
 the same national spirit, the royal displeasure was necessarily 
 checked in mid-volley, and milder courses were recommended 
 and adopted." A Bill, however, was brought into the House 
 of Lords, intitled, 
 
 " An Aft to disable Alexander Wilson, Esquire, from taking, hold- 
 ing, or enjoying any office or place in the Magistracy in the City of 
 
 Edinburgh, 
 
 Bills 
 
 Porieous 
 Mob 
 
6o 
 
 Historical Notes as to the 
 
 Porteous 
 Mob 
 
 Edinburgh, or elsewhere in Great Britain, and for imprisoning the said 
 Alexander Wilson ; and for abolishing the Guard kept up in the said 
 city, commonly called the Town Guard j and for taking away the 
 Gates of the Nether Bow Port, and keeping open the same." 
 
 The Company resolved to defend the Lord Provost Wil- 
 son, and prepared a petition, praying to be heard by counsel. 
 This petition gives the opinion of the Company as to the 
 origin of the Porteous riots : 
 
 " Your petitioners look with the utmost detestation and abhorrence 
 upon the late riotous tumults, and the most inhuman murder commit- 
 ted in it on Captain John Porteous, in open violence of all law and 
 justice, contempt of government, and presumptuous obstruction of 
 royal mercy : . . . That, so far as your petitioners know, after 
 all the enquiry that hath been made for discovering the authors and 
 actors of that seditious riot and cruel murder, we have good reason to 
 say, that no one citizen or householder was concerned, and that the 
 same was carried on by strangers, and the very meanest of the popu- 
 lace, unknown to us : . . . That the taking away of the City 
 Guard, and laying open the gates of the Nether Bow Port, besides the 
 ignominy of these being done at such a juncture, will be attended with 
 dangers and inconveniences to the peace and safety of the city, and to 
 the public revenue." 
 
 The petition, it may be mentioned, though sent to Lon- 
 don, was withdrawn, on the advice of counsel, that it ought 
 not to be presented, " if it is intended to serve the Provost of 
 the city. Besides, if it is presented, we think the House of 
 Lords will either reject it, or order it to lie on the table." 
 
 The Bill met with stout opposition from the Duke of 
 Argyll, but was, nevertheless, sent down to the House of 
 
 Commons, 
 
Merchant Company of Edinburgh. 
 
 61 
 
 Commons, where the Scotch Members exerted themselves 
 strenuously in the defence of their capital. The clauses for 
 imprisoning the Lord Provost, abolishing the City Guard, and 
 removing the Nether Bow Port, 'were left out, and a fine of 
 2000 imposed on the city for the benefit of Porteous's 
 widow. 
 
 On 1 8th April 1737, the Company had under considera- 
 tion the amendment of the Pedlar Aft. 
 
 On loth November 1738, proposals were laid before the 
 Company for building and endowing an hospital or work- 
 house for maintaining and employing the poor of the city. On 
 z8th February 1739, they petitioned the House of Commons 
 as to the late Convention with Spain. On 4th August 1740, 
 thanks were voted to the Duke of Argyll for his public-spirited 
 conduft $ and, on loth September 1745, there was an Address 
 to His Majesty on " his safe arrival in the British Dominions, 
 after the pains your Majesty has been taking abroad to secure 
 Europe from the boundless and wicked ambition of France." 
 
 We now come to the year 1745, when Prince Charles 
 Stuart landed in Scotland, raised the Highland standard at 
 Glenfinnan, and arrived with his followers at Edinburgh on 
 1 7th September. The Company during these troublous times 
 remained, as it has always done, honourably loyal, and took 
 the first opportunity of presenting the following Address to 
 King George : 
 
 Porteous 
 Mob 
 
 Pedlar Aft 
 
 Workhouse 
 and other 
 Matters 
 
 The Preten- 
 der, 1745 
 
 or THt 
 
 UNIVERSITY 
 
 OF 
 
Address to 
 the King 
 
 Historical Notes as to the 
 
 "To the King's Most Excellent Majesty, the humble Address of the 
 Merchant Company of the City of Edinburgh. 
 
 "Most Gracious Sovereign, 
 
 "When some deluded and perjured men, aided by the 
 barbarous Inhabitants of the more remote parts of the Country, and 
 Instigated by the Tool of our Inveterate and ambitious Enemies, dared 
 to disturb your Majestie's mild and legal Government, our Duty and 
 Inclination called upon us to declare our readiness to defend your Ma- 
 jesty and our happy Constitution, with our hands and fortunes : We 
 have shown in some small measure that we were sincere, That our 
 honest Intentions were not so successfull as we wished, will, we hope, 
 appear not to have been our fault. 
 
 " Sensible of the many inestimable blessings our fathers and we have 
 enjoyed since the Happy Revolution, and which can only be secured 
 to us by the continuance of the Crown in your Majesty's Royal House, 
 vain were all the arts of secret Treachery and open violence to make us 
 change the best of Kings for ane abjured Pretender, the blessings of Li- 
 berty for arbitrary power, and the Protestant Religion for Papal tyranny 
 and persecution. 
 
 '* Your Majestie's tender care in sending so seasonably His Royal 
 Highness the Duke of Cumberland to Scotland, whose name was the 
 terror of the Rebels, and whose valour and conduct has, under God, 
 totally defeated their daring and perfidious attempt, cannot fail to inspire 
 us with the most grateful sentiments. 
 
 " The known Union of Britons during the late struggle, some few 
 excepted, must demonstrate how delusive the hopes, and how fatal to 
 themselves the conduct of such as would enslave a free and brave people, 
 and will, we trust, at once extinguish the most sanguine Expectations of 
 all your Majestie's and our Enemies, and more firmly establish our 
 happy Constitution, which they intended to destroy. 
 
 " That your Majesty may long reign over and in the hearts of a free 
 and happy people, and that there may never be wanting one of your 
 August House to perpetuate the Blessing of your Government, nor one 
 
 of 
 
Merchant Company of Edinburgh. 
 
 of your family to add Lustre to the British Crown, and to be the De- 
 fenders of the Liberties of Mankind, is the prayer of 
 
 " Signed and sealed in presence of, and by appoint- 
 ment of the Compy. 
 
 " ARCHD. ANGUS. 
 
 "EDINBURGH, i May 1746." 
 
 On 23d June 1746, there is a meeting to consider how the 
 Sett of Burgh might be altered and improved, " and made more 
 agreeable to the constitution of Britain, where the people are 
 represented and governed by men of their own choice ; " and, 
 on 4th August 1746, proposed amendments were reported. 
 
 On 1 7th February 1749, proposals for support of the poor 
 of the city were again considered. 
 
 On 8th April 1760, the Company have under consideration 
 the city's application to Parliament as to bringing water into 
 the city, and laying a tax on the inhabitants for same. On 
 a8th November 1760, the Company present an Address of 
 Condolence to the Crown on the death of George II. On ist 
 April 1761, there is a General Meeting called to consider as 
 to a proper person to represent the city in Parliament. A 
 majority of the Town Council having invited a peer of the 
 realm to name a proper person, the Company expressed their 
 strong disapproval of this conduct j and it was stated that the 
 " bad etfefts of this measure already appeared ; for though this 
 city had ever since the Union been represented in Parliament 
 by one of its own citizens, except in one instance, when our 
 
 Member 
 
 Sett of Burgh 
 
 Death of 
 George II. 
 
 Company pro- 
 tests against 
 interference of 
 Peers and 
 Strangers at 
 Eleftions 
 
6 4 
 
 Historical Notes as to the 
 
 City Repre- 
 sentation 
 
 Company's 
 Support 
 asked for a 
 Parliament 
 Candidate 
 
 Member was a gentleman of estate in the neighbourhood, and 
 who, for most part, was a residenter in town 5 yet, on the pre- 
 sent occasion, it was believed the person recommended, and 
 consequently to be chosen, is so far from being a citizen, that 
 he is a stranger in town, and even in this part of the country : 
 that they are far from saying that the gentleman's being born 
 in South Britain incapacitates him from being a Member for 
 North Britain, as they look upon England and Scotland as 
 now happily making but one nation ; but they cannot help 
 thinking that it was the intention of the Legislature, in order- 
 ing Members to be chosen by the different counties and burghs, 
 that such Members should be well acquainted with the consti- 
 tution, interest, and inclinations of those they represented, that 
 the Parliament, when met, might be fully instrufted in what 
 concerned every particular part of the nation." 
 
 The Company direfted that their opinions should be com- 
 municated to the Lord Provost. 
 
 On 3rd April 1761, Mr John Fordyce attended a meeting of 
 Master- Assistants, intimated his resolution to stand candidate 
 to represent the city in Parliament, and asked the support of 
 the Company. 
 
 The meetings of the Company about this time took place 
 in " John's Coffee-house" and the " Exchange Coffee-house." 
 
 On 22nd April 1761, at a meeting of the Master and As- 
 sistants, it was reported that John Osburn, merchant, late Pro- 
 vost of Edinburgh, had left to the Company, for behoof of 
 
 George 
 
Merchant Company of Edinburgh. 
 
 George Watson's Hospital, 851, zs. ^d. sterling, under bur- 
 den of a certain annuity. 
 
 On 22nd April 1762, the Master and Assistants asked to 
 concert some method for discouraging English Riders from 
 coming to this country. The following had sometime before 
 been extensively signed in Edinburgh : 
 
 Resolution and Agreement amongst certain Merchants of Edin- 
 burgh, to discourage English Eiders from coming into 
 Scotland, dated tfh June 1754. 
 
 " We Subscribers, Merchants in Edinburgh, considering that the 
 giving orders or commissions to English Riders, or Clerks to. English 
 Merchants, when they come to this city, tends greatly to the dis- 
 tru&ion of the wonted wholesale trade thereof, from which most of 
 the towns in Scotland used to be furnished with goods, and that some 
 of these English Riders not only enhances the said wholesale trade, but 
 also corresponds with and sells goods to private families and persons at 
 the same prices and rates as if to us in a wholesale way ; and that their 
 frequent journeys to this place are attended with high charges, which, 
 consequently, must be laid on the cost of those goods we buy from 
 them j and that we can be as well served in goods by a written com- 
 mission by post, as little or no regard is had by them to the patterns or 
 colours of goods which we order them to send when they are here j 
 therefore, and for the promoting of trade, we hereby voluntarily bind 
 and oblige ourselves, that in no time coming, from and after the date 
 hereof, we, nor either of us, nor any person by our order, or on our 
 account, shall give any personal order or commission for any goods we 
 deal in to any English Dealer, Clerk, or Rider whatever, who shall 
 come to Scotland j and, also, that after the first day of January next, we 
 shall in no shape whatever have any dealings or traffic with any people 
 in England, who shall, after that date, make a practice of coming 
 
 themselves, 
 
 English Riders 
 
66 
 
 Historical Notes as to the 
 
 English Riders 
 
 Insult to 
 the Master 
 
 themselves, or sending Clerks or Riders into Scotland : and in case 
 either of us shall at any time aft contrary to one or both of these 
 obligations, we bind and oblige ourselves, upon our being convift thereof, 
 voluntarily, and without any process of law, to pay to the Treasurer of 
 the Charity Workhouse of this city, for the time being, for the use of 
 the said house, the sum of Two Pounds Two Shillings, sterling money, 
 toties quoties, for each time we are so convicted, which Treasurer is 
 hereby fully authorized and empowered to sue for, levy, and receive the 
 same. And we consent to the registration hereof in the books of Council 
 and Session, or any others competent, therein to remain for preservation ; 
 or, if need be, that letters of horning on six days charge, and all other 
 executorials needful may pass hereon in form as effeirs. And for that 
 effecl:, we constitute 
 
 our Pro'rs, &c. In Witness whereof, we have subscribed these pre- 
 sents, written on stamped vellum, by William Dun, Writer in Edin- 
 burgh, at Edinburgh, the fifth day of June, One Thousand Seven Hun- 
 dred and Fifty Two years, before these witnesses, George Waddell, Chair- 
 master in Edinburgh, and the said William Dun. 
 
 On 3oth August 1762 certain operations of the Turnpike 
 Road Trustees under consideration. 
 
 The Company shewed a due knowledge of the respect due to 
 them, and would not brook any affront, whether at the hands 
 of strangers or their own members. On the 9th November 
 1762, they resolved to complain to the Lords of the Admiralty, 
 that, having reported to the Lord Provost their opinion that 
 Captain Keith Stuart, appointed to watch the enemy's priva- 
 teers on the coast of Scotland, was not closely attending to 
 his duty, the Captain had come to Edinburgh " a few days 
 thereafter, and, in a most ungentlemanly manner, insulted the 
 
 Preses 
 
Merchant Company of Edinburgh. 
 
 Preses with abusive language, and threatened him with per- 
 sonal injury or, to use his own words, ' that he would break 
 every bone in his body.' The Company, therefore, demanded 
 reparation for this insult." Before the despatch of this letter, 
 the family of Galloway applied to the Company, earnestly re- 
 questing them not to forward their complaint to the Admiralty ; 
 and at a meeting on 27th December, the following letter was 
 read and accepted. It shews very clearly that it was considered 
 a dangeious proceeding to risk the enmity of the Company. 
 
 "LONDON, December nth 1762. 
 "To Mr Alexander Brown, 
 
 Preses of the Merchant Company, Edinburgh, 
 
 " SIR, Mr Todd, in the course of our correspondence, informed 
 me how much you and the Merchant Company, in which you have the 
 honour to preside, took amiss some expressions to you which escaped me 
 before I left Edinburgh. You must be sensible, Sir, that you gentle- 
 men on shore, are bred to a delicacy of expression which we seafaring 
 people are often deficient in, but we have sometimes the sense to reflect, 
 and the honesty to acknowledge our error, which I now do to the Com- 
 pany and their President, as the most honorable reparation I can make. 
 I am well apprised from my friend Todd of your readiness to forgive 
 and forget mistakes, and hope you will yourself accept of this apology, 
 and favour me with your good offices to make it acceptable to the 
 Company, for whom I have a great regard, and who I am very sorry to 
 have offended. Your compliance will much oblige, Sir, Your hum- 
 ble servant, K.STUART." 
 
 " P.S. I have entreated my good friend the Lord Provost to make 
 any further apology for me he may think necessary." 
 
 We have said that the Company would not permit any in- 
 dignity 
 
 Reparation 
 for Insult 
 
68 
 
 Historical Notes as to the 
 
 Misconduft of 
 Assistants 
 
 dignity even from their own Members. The following is an 
 illustration of this : 
 
 " The Master acquainted the General Meeting, that some of the 
 Assistants had the assurance, in a constituted Meeting of the Master and 
 Assistants, within these few days, to tell him that they and others had 
 concerted to absent themselves from this meeting, to the end there 
 might not be a sufficient quorum of a General Meeting, and that there- 
 by the Annual Election of the Office-bearers of the Company might be 
 disappointed." 
 
 The Company desired the Master to name these Assistants, 
 which he did. 
 
 " Whereupon the General Meeting testified their highest displea- 
 sure with the conduct of these Members, not only for their wilfully ab- 
 senting themselves from this meeting but also for throwing such indig- 
 nity upon the Master, in character of Master, and upon the Company, 
 and for acting contrary to the trust reposed in them at their election, 
 when the most valuable rights and privileges of the Company are lodg- 
 ed in their hands, and which they now endeavour to destroy ; and the 
 Company reserve to themselves to consider what further notice shall be 
 taken of this affair." 
 
 No further mention is made in the Minutes of this matter. 
 
 On the 25th January 1763, complaints against the manage- 
 ment of Heriot's Hospital are considered. 
 
 On 3rd June 1763, Sett of the City again under discussion. 
 
 On 29th August, an application being about to be made to 
 Parliament for augmenting the tolls payable at the several 
 toll bars near the city, the Company and other public bodies 
 intimated their intention to oppose it, whereupon the measure 
 was abandoned. 
 
 On 
 
Merchant Company of Edinburgh. 
 
 On and July 1764, the Earl of Morton, Lord Clerk Regis- 
 ter, wrote to the Master, proposing to purchase an area in the 
 Excise-Office Garden, " whereupon to build public offices for 
 the safe custody of the writs of the kingdom that come into 
 the custody of the clerks of the Supreme courts." The matter 
 did not go further. 
 
 On i6th December 1766, the Lord Provost having writ- 
 ten to the Master, inclosing a draft of an Acl of Parliament 
 for the extension of the Royalty over the ground lying to 
 the north of the then city, the Company expressed their 
 approval of it. 
 
 On 1 7th April 1767, the Company apply to Parliament to 
 delay the Forth and Clyde Canal Bill. 
 
 On 2ist September 1767, thanks voted to Sir Lawrence 
 Dundas " for 300 to poor of the Company, and 200 to their 
 Maiden Hospital j" and, on i9th O&ober 1767, the Company 
 instruft the Master to communicate to the Lord Provost and 
 Council their opinion that Sir Lawrence Dundas should be 
 asked to become Member of Parliament. 
 
 On nth May 1769, mortification reported in favour of Com- 
 pany by Mrs Isobel Beech or Drummond, relicT: of George 
 Beech, Merchant in Edinburgh, the interest to be applied in 
 supporting in the Trinity Hospital "a decayed Merchant 
 Burgess of Edinburgh, and Member of the said Merchant Com- 
 pany, or the relicT: or lawfiil son or daughter of such Merchant 
 Burgess and Member of the said Merchant Company, with a 
 
 preference 
 
 Cowgate 
 Property 
 
 Extension of 
 Royalty 
 
 Canal Bill 
 
 Sir Lawrence 
 Dundas 
 
 Beech's Morti- 
 fication 
 
Historical Notes as to the 
 
 Bankruptcy 
 Bill, &c. 
 
 Forms of 
 Pi ocedure 
 
 Abuses of 
 Trade 
 Mortmain 
 Aft 
 
 Preses of 
 Watson's 
 Hospital 
 
 preference for (i) those named Beech, and (2) those named 
 Drummond." 
 
 On 1 5th February 1771, Bankruptcy Bill and law as to 
 Bills and Promissory Notes considered. 
 
 On aoth June 1772, there was a meeting in the High Coun- 
 cil House, at four o'clock in the afternoon, held in consequence 
 of a requisition to the Preses " by several members desiring a 
 general meeting this day on a matter of public concern." One 
 of the requisitionists having stated the obje& of the meeting, 
 it was agreed that as the matter has not first been laid before 
 the Master and Assistants, it did not come regularly before the 
 meeting, and therefore the Company remitted it to the Master 
 and Assistants." 
 
 On i pth Oftober 1772, general meeting as to abuses in trade. 
 
 On 1 8th May 1773, Company resolved to oppose Mortmain 
 A6t relating to the vesting of the property of mortmain estates 
 in the public funds. On 2nd June 1773, letter from Sir Law- 
 rence Dundas, that Bill would not pass at least this session. 
 
 On 28th December 1773, at a meeting in the Exchange 
 Coffee-house, amongst other matters, one of the members stated 
 " that the business of the two Hospitals was at present at a 
 stand, occasioned by, as he thought, a very irregular procedure 
 of the Governors of Watson's Hospital, finding that the Master 
 of the Company (who, in virtue of his office, is Preses of both 
 Hospitals), has no right to vote along with the other Gover- 
 nors, but only a casting vote in case of the votes being equal, 
 
 whereby 
 
Merchant Company of Edinburgh. 
 
 whereby he thought the rights of the Company were greatly 
 infringed." The meeting remitted consideration of the matter 
 to the Master and Assistants, but nothing further appears to 
 have been done. 
 
 On 1 6th Oftober 1775, Bill as to improvements at North 
 Bridge considered. 
 
 On 8th January 1778, letter from Lord Provost as to rais- 
 ing a Regiment of Foot, to be called the Edinburgh Volun- 
 teers. Company agree to subscribe towards it. 
 
 On 24th December 1778, the Preses (Thomas Elder) laid 
 before the meeting the " great outlines " of a plan for rais- 
 ing a fund for a provision to the Widows of Members of the 
 Company. This was the first step in the establishment of the 
 wealthy Widows' Fund, founded in 1826-27. 
 
 On nth January 1779, Company resolve to take into con- 
 sideration the general alarm spread over this part of the United 
 Kingdom, by a Bill said to be intended to be brought into 
 Parliament to repeal the penal laws of King William against 
 Popery in Scotland. The Company resolved to oppose the Bill. 
 
 On 1 9th Oftober 1778, Company being empowered and 
 required by the Statutes of George Watson's Hospital to take 
 all proper care that these Statutes are duly observed, and for 
 that end the Governors are appointed at all times to make the 
 minutes, writings, records, and accounts patent to the Com- 
 pany, or such of their number as they shall authorize ; and as, 
 from the opening of the Hospital, the Company had not exer- 
 
 ci^ed 
 
 North Bridge 
 
 Volunteers 
 
 Widows' 
 Fund 
 
 Popery 
 
 Watson's 
 
 Hospital 
 
 Records 
 
Historical Notes as to the 
 
 City Member 
 
 Police Tax, 
 
 Mr James 
 Jollie elected 
 Joint-Clerk 
 
 cised this power, they now remitted to a special committee to 
 examine these books, papers, and accounts, and to report. On 
 30th August 1779, Report brought up, considered, and ap- 
 proved of. 
 
 On 23rd Oftober 1780, the Company congratulate Mr 
 William Miller, on his ele&ion as Member of Parliament 
 for Edinburgh : certain Members, however, protested against 
 this. 
 
 At the same meeting, it was moved by Mr Hunter Blair, 
 and agreed to, that the Preses write to the Lord President of 
 the Court of Session, the Lord Chief Baron of the Court of 
 Exchequer, the Dean of the Faculty of Advocates, and the 
 Keeper of the Signet, that it is the unanimous wish of this 
 Company that these great and respe&able bodies of citi- 
 zens may join with the Magistrates and Town Council, and 
 citizens at large, in an application to Parliament, that the 
 taxes for the support of the police and civil government of 
 this city may be levied equally upon all the inhabitants within 
 the Royalty. The result does not appear. 
 
 On loth June 1783, Resolutions of Company against pro- 
 posed tax on bills, notes, receipts, and discharges. 
 
 On ist September 1783, Mr James Jollie was conj'oined as 
 Clerk to the Company, along with Mr James Forrest, Writer 
 to the Signet. Mr Jollie continued Clerk for a very long 
 period of years. 
 
 On nth December 1783, Mr John Thompson, Account- 
 ant 
 
Merchant Company of Edinburgh. 
 
 73 
 
 tant in Edinburgh, asked permission to dedicate The Universal 
 Calculator to the Company j and, as it was " a superior work," 
 the Company gave their consent ! 
 
 On 1 4th March 1783, proceedings against "unfree traders, 
 hawkers who open temporary shops in the town," con- 
 sidered. On aand March 1786, the Company have before 
 them the heads of a new Bill for the support of the poor, trans- 
 mitted by the Lord Provost and Magistrates, to the Company. 
 On 9th January 1797, Resolutions against Sunday mails. 
 Company, at same meeting, propose to purchase a new hall. 
 On 5th March 1790, Members consider as to raising funds 
 to support a proposed new prison in Edinburgh. Company 
 approve of building of same. 
 
 On 2nd June 1 792, Company resolve to meet in their Hall on 
 Monday next, immediately after the public celebration of His 
 Majesty's birth ; or sooner, in case of any appearance of riot. 
 The meeting were of opinion that their own Hall was fully a 
 more proper place to meet in than the Council Chamber, which 
 is the rendezvous appointed by the Aft of Council in case of 
 mobs 5 and this alteration in the place of meeting was under- 
 stood by the magistrates, and met their approbation. On 7th 
 June 1792, the Company lay down certain rules to check dis- 
 turbances in the city, and resolve " to subscribe fifty guineas 
 to be given as a reward for the discovery of the leaders and 
 instigators of the late disturbances, or of the writers of any of 
 the incendiary letters, or seditious advertisements, which have 
 
 lately 
 
 Book dedica- 
 ed to Com- 
 pany 
 
 Unfree 
 Traders 
 
 Poor 
 
 Sunday Mails 
 
 New Prison 
 
 Riots 
 
74 
 
 Town- 
 Council and 
 Merchant 
 Company 
 
 Seditious 
 
 Meetings 
 
 Address to the 
 King 
 
 Historical Notes as to the 
 
 lately appeared, it being understood that Members should 
 themselves subscribe without encroaching upon the general 
 funds of the Company. 
 
 On 1 3th June 1792, the Lord Provost, on behalf of the Ma- 
 gistrates and Town Council, and as directed " by them, pre- 
 sented to the Master, Assistants, and individual Members of 
 the Company, their most sincere and grateful acknowledge- 
 ments for the very cheerful and ready promise of support and 
 assistance in case of a continuance of the disturbances.'" 
 
 It will have been noticed, from many of these extracts, that 
 the Town Council and Company worked for many years most 
 harmoniously together. Having but one aim, they consulted 
 together in nearly all important local questions, and, hand-in- 
 hand, advanced the interests of the city. 
 
 On nth December 1793, the Company pass resolutions 
 against the " lawless proceedings of a set of persons styling 
 themselves " the British Convention," and in aid of suppress- 
 ing all seditious meetings." 
 
 On 4th September 1 797, Company resolve to apply for a new 
 Aft of Parliament for enlarging their powers. 
 
 On 6th June 1800, at a full meeting of the Company, they 
 agreed to address the King, congratulating him on the failure 
 of " the late atrocious and diabolical attempt against his sacred 
 person." 
 
 The first five or six years of the nineteenth century found 
 the Company busily engaged with discussions about a police 
 
 bill, 
 
Merchant Company of Edinburgh. 
 
 75 
 
 bill, the corn laws, the north mail, stamp duty on promissory 
 notes, and taxes on bank notes. 
 
 On 1 3th November 1806, the Company lost an honoured 
 Member in Sir William Forbes, nephew of Lords Forbes and 
 Pitsligo. He served his apprenticeship with Messrs Coutts & 
 Company, bankers. He became a partner of the concern in 
 1761, and two years afterwards the well-known firm of " Sir 
 William Forbes, J. Hunter, & Company " was formed. In 
 1783, they began to issue notes which were received as readily 
 throughout Scotland as the coin of the realm. In 1786, Sir 
 William consented to fill the office of Master of the Merchant 
 Company, but he frequently declined representing the city in 
 Parliament. He also refused an Irish peerage. At one time 
 he was a member of the celebrated " London Literary Club/' 
 where he became acquainted with Samuel Johnson, Sir Joshua 
 Reynolds, and other eminent literati. He wrote a life of Dr 
 Beattie, which appeared in 1806, and passed through several 
 editions, and he took a most active part in the originating and 
 managing of many of the Edinburgh philanthropic institu- 
 tions.* 
 
 In Oftober 1809, the Company formed part of the procession 
 at laying the foundation-stone of a bastion at Leith Docks, the 
 Earl of Moira, afterwards Marquis of Hastings, officiating on the 
 occasion. This day (the 25th October), was held as a Jubilee 
 
 throughout 
 
 Corn Laws, 
 &c. 
 
 Sir William 
 Forbes 
 
 Company 
 Procession 
 
 * Anderson's History of Edinburgh, p. 308. 
 
Historical Notes as to the 
 
 Lord Provost 
 Coulter 
 
 i8o to 1817 
 
 East India 
 Trade, &c. 
 
 throughout Great Britain, George III. having entered on the 
 fiftieth year of his reign. 
 
 In April 1810, the Company attended the funeral of the 
 Lord Provost (Coulter), of whom so many carious stories 
 are still extant, amongst others, that on one occasion, when 
 replying to the toast of his health, he assured the Company 
 " that though he had the body of a stocking-weaver, he 
 had the soul of a Sheepio Afreecanus" (Scipio Africanus). 
 His funeral was a very gorgeous one. The other two Lord 
 Provosts who have died in office (Adam Brown in October 
 1711, and Alexander Kincaid in January 1777) had also a 
 public funeral procession. 
 
 During the seven years following 1810, the Company, 
 amongst other subjefts, had under consideration, trade with the 
 East Indies (1812); a new police bill (1812); the appren- 
 tice tax (1812) 5 resolutions against advance on prices at 
 which grain was imported (1813); distillation from grain 
 (1813); proposition for widow's scheme (1813); amendment 
 of the Bankrupt A61 (1813); Union Canal (1814); corn 
 laws (1814.); trial by jury (1815); resolutions against shop 
 tax (1815)5 new police bill (1815); enlarged nomination 
 of justices of the peace for the city (1816); restriction on 
 hawkers and petty itinerant merchants (1817); widow's 
 scheme, alterations on Watson's Hospital statutes, and burgh 
 reform. 
 
 The igth of November 1817 was a day of mourning in 
 
 Edinburgh 
 
Merchant Company of Edinburgh. 
 
 77 
 
 Edinburgh the burial day of the Princess Charlotte of Wales 
 (the presumptive heiress to the British throne, and consort of 
 Prince Leopold of Saxe-Coburg), and her child. The Com- 
 pany approved of suspending business that day, " as a becom- 
 ing tribute to the memory of this most amiable and excellent 
 Princess, whose unlooked-for death had involved the whole 
 country in the deepest affliction." Shortly afterward, the 
 Company resolved on an Address to His Royal Highness the 
 Prince Regent, and another to the Prince of Saxe-Coburg, on 
 the death of the Princess. 
 
 The gas bill was before the Company this year. In April 
 of the following year (1818), it may be mentioned, the shops 
 and some of the streets were lighted with gas a great im- 
 provement on the old oil lamps. 
 
 In 1818, it was proposed to remove the General Post-Office 
 from the Old Town to the Regent Bridge. A considerable 
 number of the Company were strongly opposed to this. Some 
 of the objections stated by the Company to the removal sound 
 curiously at this date. The Company shortly afterwards pre- 
 sented a petition to the Lords Commissioners of His Majesty's 
 Treasury against the removal ; and it may be remarked that 
 this petition runs in the name of " The Company of Mer- 
 chants of the City of Edinburgh, who are composed of a very 
 numerous body of merchants, bankers, and retail dealers, *wfio 
 mostly carry on their business within the antient Royalty of the 
 city." 
 
 About 
 
 Death of 
 
 Princess 
 Charlotte 
 
 Gas 
 
 Post-Office 
 
 Members in 
 Old Town 
 
Historical Notes as to the 
 
 Burgh Reform 
 
 Supported by 
 Company 
 
 About this time (1817-18), the Company were taking an 
 enthusiastic interest in the then all important subjecl of Burgh 
 Reform. The matter had been frequently before the Com- 
 pany, and on iyth November 1817 there was a very large 
 meeting of the Company (269 Members) to consider it. Mr 
 Adam Black, seconded by Mr Archibald Anderson, moved 
 as follows : 
 
 First, That this Company views with great satisfaction the exertions 
 now making to introduce into the Scottish Burghs a more rational and 
 liberal system of town polity, and considers the sound and enlightened 
 principles displayed at the set of Montrose, so congenial to the spirit of 
 the British Constitution, as reflecting the highest honour on the Lord- 
 Advocate of Scotland and his Majesty's Privy Council, and eminently 
 conducive to the welfare of the community, and the respectability of the 
 Magistracy. 
 
 Second, That this Company being deeply interested in every thing con- 
 nedled with the good of the city j and being the only chartered body of 
 Merchant Burgesses, consider themselves particularly called upon to use 
 every exertion to procure for the Burgesses that influence in the admini- 
 stration of their own affairs to which they are entitled, and to promote 
 such improvements in the set of the city as will conduce to their 
 prosperity. 
 
 The Master, seconded by Mr Samuel Anderson, moved cer- 
 tain counter resolutions, to the effecl: that Mr Black's should be 
 rejected; but, on a division, 176 voted with Mr Adam Black, 
 and only 87 against him. 
 
 On loth August 1818, after hearing a report from the 
 Burgh Reform Committee, Mr Adam Black moved " that 
 
 the 
 
Merchant Company of Edinburgh. 
 
 the sum of one hundred guineas be voted from the funds of the 
 Company, to be placed at the disposal of the Committees who 
 have united for the purpose of endeavouring to procure a moie 
 liberal system of town polity." A counter motion was made, 
 on the ground that the grant "was contrary to the Company's 
 Charter, and injurious to the" interests of their poor," and a 
 number of Members being impressed with this view, and 
 others taking the same side on different grounds, Mr Black's 
 motion was lost by 103 to 75. Immediately afterwards, a 
 private subscription was commenced amongst the Members, 
 and nearly 200 raised in a few days. 
 
 The discussions at this time led to some temporary party- 
 feeling amongst the Members j and at a meeting of the Master 
 and Assistants, it was stated that it was in contemplation by 
 some of the Members to propose leets of the Master and As- 
 sistants for the ensuing year, without any previous commu- 
 nication with the Master and Assistants. This was found to 
 be the case j as, at a numerously attended meeting of the Com- 
 pany, on 3ist August 1818, an opposition leet to that of the 
 Master and Assistants was proposed by Mr Archibald Ander- 
 son, seconded by Mr Archibald Craig. The meeting was 
 nearly equally divided, but the Master declared that the 
 majority was in favour of his motion ; a declaration that was 
 afterwards unsuccessfully called in question. The leet of 3 for 
 Master, 36 for Assistants, and 3 for Treasurer, lay on the 
 table, according to custom, till the next meeting, on the yth 
 
 September, 
 
 79 
 
 Burgh Reform 
 
 Opposition 
 Leets 
 
8o 
 
 Historical Notes as to the 
 
 Lord 
 
 Cockburn on 
 Merchant 
 Company 
 
 September, at which there was again a very large attendance 
 258 Members. A motion that the minutes of the previous 
 general meeting "be not approved of," on the ground of the 
 alleged mistake as to the division, was negatived by 143 to 
 123. Sir William Forbes, Bart., as Master, the twelve As- 
 sistants, and the Treasurer, were then appointed. 
 
 It is in reference to the divisions at these last-mentioned 
 meetings, that Lord Cockburn amusingly refers, in his Memo- 
 rials of his Time. We extract a few sentences : 
 
 " The natural tendency of the folly of the Government in the 
 Burgh Reform question, appeared this year in certain civic proceedings, 
 which, though of no importance in themselves now, are curious 
 historically, and as marking the gradual but rapid rise of popular opinion. 
 
 " The Merchant Company of Edinburgh, instituted in 1681, was the 
 only respectable mercantile body this unmercantile place possessed. 
 And it had considerable influence . . . Individually, its magnates 
 were very good men, but publicly, its ' Master ' and his * Twelve Assist- 
 ants ' were a King and a House of Lords without the Commons. The 
 people, however, had their Peter Wentworths, who now began to 
 shew that they were no longer to be frightened by hard words. In 
 August 1818, the great men of the last generation were confounded by 
 hearing it seriously proposed to give 100 of the funds in aid of Burgh 
 Reform, which the opponents of this measure now treated as merely a 
 Whig and Tory question. The revolutionary motion was rejected, but 
 only by a small majority. The victory of its authors was, however, 
 complete when they were within two votes of annihilating the system 
 altogether, on a motion denying the Master's privilege of appointing 
 the other office- bearers, and claiming this power for the Company at 
 large. On this the old school withdrew , and the Society has since 
 managed its own affairs, and obtained due public weight." 
 
 The 
 
Merchant Company oj Edinburgh. 
 
 81 
 
 The two or three subsequent years for we must abbreviate 
 our Notes were partly taken up with meetings as to checking 
 contagious fevers (1818) ; an Address to the Prince Regent on 
 death of the Queen (1818) j qualifications of Members (1819) ; 
 legacy of 105 from Mr Andrew Mein, a Member of the Com- 
 pany (1819) 5 Widows' Scheme (1819) ; vote of thanks to Sir 
 William Forbes, the retiring Master, " for the trouble he has 
 taken in the Company's affairs, and for the dignity and pro- 
 priety with which he has fulfilled the duties of the chair" 
 (1819) ; Address to the King on the death of his father, and 
 on his accession to the throne (1820) ; Widows' Fund, police 
 bill, extra mails (1820); petition to Parliament as to duties 
 on coal (1820) ; improvements on St Giles's Church (1821) ; 
 ferries between Mid- Lothian and Fife (1821) ; Admiralty Bill 
 (1821) ; Leith Walk toll-bar (1821) ; report on Burgh Re- 
 form (1821); Bankrupt Act (1821); police bills (1822); 
 road-money bill (1822) ; Scotch burghs bill (1822)5 burgh 
 accounts bill (1822); and a number of other matters. 
 
 In many of the above-mentioned aftings, the Company's 
 efforts were supported by the Chamber of Commerce, which 
 had been commenced in 1785, and was incorporated in 1786.* 
 
 In 1820, the Company very deliberately considered, and 
 
 strongly 
 
 * A very interesting account of the Chamber of Commerce, written by Mr George 
 Harrison, now one of the Assistants of the Merchant Company, was printed in the same 
 Press as these Notes, and for the use of the Members, in 1859. It has since been 
 repiinted with additions. 
 
 1818 to 1822, 
 
 Chamber of 
 Commerce 
 
82 
 
 Restrictions on 
 Foreign Trade 
 
 King's visit 
 
 Historical Notes as to the 
 
 strongly opposed, restri&ions on foreign trade. They also 
 petitioned Parliament to remove these restrictions. The fol- 
 lowing is an excerpt from this able petition : 
 
 " Great Britain and France, it must be admitted, are mutually 
 destined for carrying on an extensive and mutually advantageous trade j 
 and yet the restrictions imposed by both countries have checked, and 
 now almost annihilate this trade. To the petitioners it appears that a 
 modification of the duties on the importation of the wines and the 
 cambrics of France, and on such other commodities as to the wisdom 
 of Parliament may appear to be proper, would tend greatly to increase 
 the demand for the manufactures of this country; and that while' this 
 could be done without incurring any loss to the revenue of this country, 
 or any great injury to any class of individuals here, it might be supposed 
 from its liberality, to dispose the French to recede in an equal degree 
 from restrictions on their part." 
 
 This petition, as well as many of the other petitions, when 
 read in the light of subsequent events, says much for the far- 
 sighted and liberal views of the Company. 
 
 Much stir was caused amongst the Merchant Company, as 
 well as other public bodies, by the announcement, in July 1822, 
 of the intention of George IV. to visit Edinburgh in August, 
 no Sovereign of the House of Hanover having before entered 
 the city. On the 2nd August 1822,* there was a general 
 meeting held, at which an Address to His Majesty was agreed 
 
 to, 
 
 * Hitherto, from 1681, it was always the pratice to mention in the minutes the 
 names of every Member present at the general meetings; but at this meeting this was 
 not done, nor has it been done since. 
 
Merchant Company of Edinburgh. 
 
 to, and the Master and Assistants were directed to wait on 
 His Majesty and present it. The Company agreed, also, to 
 take part in the public ceremonial on His Majesty's progress 
 from Holyrood House to the Castle ; and on 6th August, it is 
 intimated, that three hundred of the Members were expected 
 to be present. 
 
 The dress to be worn by the Members, like other citizens 
 on the day of procession, was a blue coat, with white vest, and 
 white or nankeen underdress; and it was specially directed 
 that no Member should appear in black. A commemorative 
 ornament was also to be worn by the Company, a figure 
 i or emblem (according to the taste of the Members) in silver, 
 | or in silk, upon a blue silk ground, of an oval or circular form, 
 edged with a double row of narrow blue-and-white silk ribbon, 
 worn on the left breast. The banner of the Company, made 
 specially for the purpose, displayed the matriculated arms of 
 the Company, painted on a white silk ground ; and it was to 
 be borne by the junior Member of the Company, who was 
 directed to take his station on the left of the Master and 
 Assistants, who, on the other hand, were to take their stations 
 in the centre, when the Members came into their places on 
 the street. The place allotted for the accommodation of the 
 Members and their clerks and apprentices, was a space marked 
 off, and extending from Writers' Court to the Fishmarket 
 Close, and was calculated to accommodate 1000 individuals. 
 The Members and those conne6led with them, were to assemble 
 
 within 
 
 King's visit 
 to Edinburgh 
 
Historical Notes as to the 
 
 Contest for 
 Mastership 
 
 Lord Provost 
 Henderson 
 
 within the Royal Exchange, and be there arranged by the 
 Master and Assistants, who were to wear distinguishing marks, 
 viz., white wands. 
 
 It was calculated that nearly 300,000 people saw their 
 Sovereign on his entrance into the city on i5th August. It 
 was on the 22nd that he made a royal progress from Holy- 
 rood to the Castle. 
 
 Hurrying over a few succeeding years (including the great 
 fire and speculation mania year of 1824.), we come to 1826, 
 when a great stir was caused in the Company by the novel 
 occurrence of a contest for the Mastership of the Company. 
 The late Lord Provost, Alexander Henderson of Press, was 
 proposed in opposition to Mr Robert Scott ; and, after a keen 
 contest, Mr Henderson was elecled, on 4th September 1826, 
 by 148 votes against 136. 
 
 Mr Henderson did not long, however, enjoy the office, as 
 he died on 5th February of the following year. His history is 
 instructive. He came to Edinburgh, a boy, from Peebles- 
 shire j engaged, first as an apprentice, and then master, with 
 a seed-merchant j and, by his honourable conduct and indus- 
 try, made his fortune, became Lord Provost, and afterwards 
 Master of the Merchant Company. He was extremely popu- 
 lar, and warmly promoted all the improvements of the city. 
 The Company offered to attend his funeral, but this was 
 respectfully declined by the family, as it accorded more with 
 their personal feelings that the funeral should be conducted 
 
 privately. 
 
Merchant Company of Edinburgh. 
 
 privately. His death raised the novel question of the power 
 of the Company to supply the vacancy of Master of the Com- 
 pany, and Preses of the various hospitals ; but, under the 
 advice of counsel, Mr James Moncrieff and Mr John Hope, 
 the Company lost no time in electing a successor. 
 
 In August 1827, the Company agreed to take part in 
 another public procession, at the laying of the foundation of 
 the Southern and Western Bridges, on the i5th. The 
 Deputy Lord Lyon made up a programme of the procession 
 of the public bodies, giving a precedence to the Company 
 over the Incorporated Trades. This the Trades disputed. 
 The Company, however, insisted on their rights, and main- 
 tained that the same precedence had been given them at the 
 funerals of Provosts Kincaid and Coulter. The matter was 
 referred to Mr Thomas Thomson, advocate, who decided in 
 favour of the Company. 
 
 We must now, however, draw towards a conclusion, as we 
 have arrived at a period fresh in the recollection of many of 
 the present Members of the Company j and to give details of 
 recent proceedings would be a work of supererogation. 
 
 In 1826, the Company, which had for many years before 
 been desirous of establishing a Widows' Fund, finally resolved 
 upon one, and in the following year obtained an A61 of Par- 
 liament to carry out their views. 
 
 Before, however, alluding particularly to this, and the 
 changes thereby made on the entry-dues, it is proper to advert, 
 
 and 
 
 Precedence 
 over Trades 
 
 Widows' Fund 
 
86 
 
 Historical Notes as to the 
 
 History of 
 Entry Dues 
 
 and we shall do so very briefly, to the dues payable to the 
 Company from its institution in 1681. 
 
 By the original Charter, as has been seen [page 10 of 
 Notes'], the entrance-dues were 6 Scots (IQJ.), and six shil- 
 lings Scots (6^.) in quarterly payments while in trade. Ap- 
 prentices to Members paid 3 Scots (5^.) on their entry. The 
 practice of exa&ing apprentice-fees ceased about 1725. 
 
 For many years prior to 1777, persons without the Patent 
 or Charter that is, persons of professions different from the 
 description in the Charter, but merchants, burgesses, and guild 
 brethren were admitted on payment of higher fees than were 
 exacted from persons 'within the Patent; but from 1681 down 
 to 1777, the entrance fees of Members within the Patent had 
 continued at the original sum of 6 Scots, and 6s. Scots, or 2 
 sterling, including the purchase of the quarter dues. In 1777, 
 however, the Company obtained a new Charter from King 
 George III. [see Appendix}, authorizing them to exaft 6 
 sterling, and 6s. sterling, in place of the former fees. After 
 this Charter was obtained the entrance fee exacled from Mem- 
 bers within the Patent was fixed at 10, including the purchase 
 of annual dues, and from those without the Patent, at zo. 
 Soon after obtaining the Aft of 1777, the Company increased 
 rapidly in numbers, particularly of persons without the Patent, 
 or " Non-Patent" Members, as they were called. The accession 
 made to the stock of the Company by the admission of this 
 latter class of Members, between 1783 and 1797, was more 
 
 than 
 
Merchant Company of Edinburgh. 
 
 than a fourth part of the whole accumulated capital of the 
 Company. In 1798, the Company again resolved to raise 
 the entry dues. Power was accordingly obtained \see Aft 
 in Appendix], and the fees were raised from 6 sterling, and 
 6s. sterling, to iz sterling of entry-money, and 9*. of an- 
 nual dues; while power was obtained to exaft from every 
 entrant, over and above these fees, i, IQJ. sterling, for 
 each year after the first two he had, at his admission, carried 
 on business. By this Aft, it was declared that, whereas " it 
 hath been the praftice of the said Company to admit as Mem- 
 bers, and to the benefits, rights, and privileges arising there- 
 from, persons who do not exaftly fall within the description of 
 sellers and importers of cloths, stuffs, and other merchandise, 
 for the apparel or wear of the bodies of men or women, but 
 bankers and others who are merchants, burgesses, and guild 
 brethren, or entitled to be chosen merchant-councillors, or 
 magistrates of the city of Edinburgh. And whereas, the funds 
 of the said Company have thereby been much benefited, and 
 the charitable purposes thereby provided for very materially 
 promoted, and it is therefore expedient that the above-mention- 
 ed praftice should, under suitable regulations, be continued;" 
 therefore, the Company are authorized " to admit all persons 
 being merchants, burgesses, and guild brothers, or entitled to be 
 chosen merchant-councillors or magistrates of the city of Edin- 
 burgh, as Members," each person paying, in name of entry- 
 money and as composition for annual dues, such sum, not less 
 
 than 
 
 History of 
 Entry Dues 
 
88 
 
 Historical Notes as to the 
 
 History of 
 Entry Dues 
 
 than 25 sterling, as the said Company shall, in the circum- 
 stances of each particular case, deem adequate and reasonable." 
 Upon the passing of this A61, the Company fixed the fees of 
 entry-money of Patent Members at 18, in which was included 
 6 as the purchase of the annual dues ; and the fees of entry 
 of Non-Patent Members at 25 sterling; and both descriptions 
 paid 3OJ. more for every year but two they had carried on 
 business at their entrance to the Company. Afterwards, the 
 sum of the annual dues was fixed at 9 (equal to 20 years' 
 purchase), which raised the entrance fees from i 8 to 21, to 
 Patent Members ; and the fees of Non-Patent Members was, at 
 the same time, raised to 4.2; both continuing to pay the 30^. 
 of business tax. 
 
 The following figures shew how much the Company in- 
 creased in property, under their enlarged powers. 
 
 Abstract State of Annual Sums received from Entrants since 
 the Aft of Parliament 1798, and down to 1820. 
 
 Year. Treasurer. Total Sum. 
 
 1799 to 1802, __ Mr George White 690 o o 
 
 1802101805 -- Mr George Brunton 897 o o 
 
 1805101808 .. Mr Robert Kerr ..." 907 o o 
 
 l8o8toi8n .. Mr Adam Freer _ __ 1017 o o 
 
 1811 to 1814 __ Mr Robert Plenderleith 2182 10 o 
 
 1814101817 __ Mr William Ph in 2092 10 o 
 
 1817101820 .. Mr Thomas Blackwood 3715 10 o 
 
 As will be seen, when we come to the details of the Widows' 
 
 Scheme, 
 
Merchant Company of Edinburgh. 
 
 Scheme Aft of 1827, the Company again altered their fees 
 of admission. 
 
 Before, however, taking up this Aft, we stop for a 
 moment to note the description of a few of the persons who 
 have been admitted Members both before and since the Aft, 
 to shew that the Company has not in praftice been restrifted 
 to merchants in the narrowest sense of the term. Bankers 
 and others, when of high standing in the city of Edinburgh 
 and also in Leith, have been admitted, not a few of whom 
 were and are amongst the most valued and useful Members 
 of the Company. 
 
 Take, say from 1703, there is, in addition to many ordinary' 
 merchants who were admitted, in July of that year, a writer, 
 burgess, and guild brother 5 in February 1705, a writer, mer- 
 chant, burgess, and guild brother; in May 1709, a writer and 
 burgess j in 1720, a wigmaker and merchant burgess; in 
 Oftober 1721, a writer, merchant, burgess, and guild brother. 
 
 Many Members admitted resided in Leith, Canongate, and 
 Portsburgh. 
 
 The Minutes between 1714 and 1725 are missing, and 
 those for twenty years after 1725 afford no information as to 
 the description of persons entered. 
 
 The following, all burgesses and guild brothers, were sub- 
 sequently admitted : An insurance broker, a shipbuilder, a 
 corn merchant, the clerk to His Majesty's Printer, a seal en- 
 graver, various distillers, a coachmaker, a builder, an agent, a 
 
 general 
 
 Persons 
 admitted 
 
9 
 
 Historical Notes as to the 
 
 Widows' 
 Scheme 
 
 Aft of 1827 
 
 general agent, a mail-coach contraftor, a mercantile agent, 
 a newspaper agent, a commission agent, auctioneers and ap- 
 praisers, a contractor, a commercial agent, an accountant, a 
 civil engineer, &c. 
 
 We now come more particularly to that important and 
 useful feature of the Company, technically intitled, under the 
 A61 of Parliament, " The Widows 1 Scheme of the Company 
 of Merchants of the City of Edinburgh " a Scheme which 
 has, in many instances, been the source of benefit to the families 
 of deceased Members. 
 
 In the year 1826, the Stock of the Company had increased, 
 by excellent management, to 31,479, 15^. i^/. sterling ; and 
 the Members resolved to institute a Widows' Fund for making 
 a certain provision, as a matter of right and of law, to the 
 widow of every Member of the Company, who chose to be- 
 come a contributor to it, and to the widow of every future 
 Member, who, by his entrance into the Company, would, 
 as a matter of course, become a contributor to the Widows' 
 Fund. The rights of the then Members, not becoming contri- 
 butors to this Fund, to remain untouched ; while a sufficient 
 Fund was to be reserved for a provision to decayed Members, 
 and to their widows, in all time coming. 
 
 In the following year, an A61 of Parliament was applied 
 for and obtained, for carrying this scheme into effect, and by 
 which powers were conferred on the Company to levy the sum 
 of 63 sterling, from individuals of every description entering 
 
 with 
 
Merchant Company of Edinburgh. 
 
 9 l 
 
 with the Company in future, of which sum 42 were allotted 
 to the Widows' Fund, and the remaining 2 1 to the common 
 Stock of the Company, and also to levy 3, 3/. from new 
 entrants, for every year they should be in business after two 
 years, before becoming Members of the Company. 
 
 This payment is now changed, by a subsequent regulation 
 of the Company, into an Age-tax of twenty-one shillings for 
 each year the age of a new Member exceeds thirty at the 
 period of his joining the Company. 
 
 Powers were also conferred on the Company to pay over 
 to the Widows' Fund 30 out of the common Stock of the 
 Company for each Member of the Company, at the date of 
 the Aft, who became a contributor to the Widows' Fund, such 
 contributor's widow to have no claim afterwards on the com- 
 mon fund of the Company $ and powers were likewise given 
 to levy 10, IQJ. annually for six years from the then present 
 and future contributors to the Widows' Fund, and also certain 
 Marriage-taxes, according to the age of the parties, with 
 liberty to each contributor to purchase his annual payments 
 for the sum of 50, if such purchase be made on or before 
 the second annual payment of the 10, IQJ. 
 
 Of the then Members of the Company, 276 became contri- 
 butors to this Fund. At the end of the seventh year of the 
 Fund, the stock of the contributors amounted to the sum of 
 20,949, u. iod. It is now about 56,000. 
 
 We may note here the entire moneys exigible under this 
 
 Aft 
 
Historical Notes as to the 
 
 Entry Money 
 
 Application 
 of Funds 
 
 Aft, from Members of the Company and contributors to the 
 Widows' Scheme, and mention a few of the many advan- 
 tages, which flow from Membership. Then, with a few 
 remarks on various general matters connected with the Com- 
 pany, and with a brief reference to the Hospitals, and to the 
 large funds under the charge of the Master, Assistants, and 
 Governors, these Notes will be brought to a close. 
 
 THE MERCHANT COMPANY. 
 
 The entry money payable by Members on their admission 
 to the Company (exclusive of Age-tax, if any, and certain tri- 
 fling fees), is now, as shewn, only twenty guineas. This sum, 
 small as it is, proves, as has been seen, amply sufficient for the 
 present purposes of the Incorporation. 
 
 The twenty guineas are thus applied, in terms of the Aft 
 of Parliament : 
 
 1. For the good and utility of the Company. 
 
 2. In payment of such allowances or annuities as may be granted 
 to the Members of the Company who are or may fall into indigent 
 and decayed circumstances. 
 
 3. In payment of such allowances or annuities as may be granted 
 to the indigent widows of the Members who have died, or of Members 
 in existence at the date of the Act of Parliament, 1827, who may die 
 
 without 
 
Merchant Company of Edinburgh. 
 
 93 
 
 without becoming contributors to the Widows' Fund. [All Members 
 after 1827 must be contributors to the Widows' Fund.] 
 
 4. In payment of the expense of management of the General Fund 
 of the Company } and 
 
 5. To any other purposes to which the said Fund may be lawfully 
 applied in terms of the Charters and Afts of Parliament, and according 
 to the lawful usages of the Company. 
 
 If a Member exceeds the age of 30 years, it becomes 
 necessary to exact, in addition to the 21, an equalizing 
 Age-tax of 1, is. (i.e., interest at five per cent, on 21), 
 for each year he exceeds 30. The reasonableness of this 
 tax is very obvious. Without it the following anomaly 
 might any day occur : a person entering at 60 years of age, 
 and for payment of 21, might have grand-children, and 
 perhaps children not past twelve years of age. Immediately 
 on his thus becoming a Member, his children and grand- 
 children would obtain a preferable right to admission into 
 the Hospitals ; and in a very few years he himself would, if he 
 required it, become entitled to the pension allowed to decayed 
 Members. It is to obviate such an occurrence as this, that the 
 Age-tax is exacted. 
 
 A few of the advantages of joining the Merchant Company 
 may be thus briefly stated : 
 
 I. The Member's children and grand-children have a preferable 
 right of admission into George Watson's Hospital, and a right to the 
 Merchant Maiden Hospital ; and in the other Hospitals various mortifi- 
 cations enable the Company to hold out additional advantages. 
 
 2. These 
 
 Age Tax 
 
 Advantages of 
 Membership 
 
Historical Notes as to the 
 
 2. These privileges are of the greatest importance. Many of the 
 children are entitled to them as their birthright the result of their 
 parents or grand-parents having been Members of the Merchant Com- 
 pany, and having otherwise occupied a respectable position ; while 
 education in these Hospitals is, as a general rule, an evidence of respect- 
 able parentage. 
 
 3. A pleasing feature connected with these institutions is, the warm 
 and affectionate interest taken by the Governors in the children under 
 their charge. The advice given to the boys and the girls on their de- 
 parture from these institutions, to fight the battle of life, is " If you find 
 yourselves in difficulties come to us." And that these are not empty 
 words, those connected with the Hospitals know well. 
 
 4. Another great advantage is that Members falling into poverty 
 (and who may not?) receive liberal allowances. 
 
 5. Members join the Widows' Fund, and thereby secure a comfort- 
 able annuity to their widows. 
 
 6. The Company, even exclusive of the Widows' Fund, for this 
 small sum of twenty guineas, is thus, as has been truly said, a safe- 
 guard for Merchants and their families against the vicissitudes of a 
 mercantile life. 
 
 7. Membership in the most influential Company in the city, which, 
 taking, as it does, an important part in great public questions, affecting 
 trade and commerce and the taxes of the people, affords to each Mem- 
 ber a channel for bringing his views before the public, and, indirectly, 
 the legislature, through the medium of the Company. 
 
 8. The prospect of becoming a director of the Company and of 
 the various charitable institutions under its charge. 
 
 We 
 
Merchant Company of Edinburgh. 
 
 95 
 
 We shall now refer to the contributions to, and the benefits 
 derivable by, Members from 
 
 THE WIDOWS' SCHEME. 
 
 Every Member of the Company, as already stated, must 
 now join the Widows' Scheme. The entry money is 92, but 
 50 of it, and the interest, may be paid in twelve half-yearly 
 payments of five guineas each. 
 
 The advantages of the Fund are considerable : 
 
 1. For this comparatively small sum the Member's widow draws, 
 as a legal right, and not as a gift, an annuity, at present of 25, but 
 which will probably ere long be increased. 
 
 2. The capital stock of the Widows' Scheme is so large, and the 
 guarantee of its security so good, that it is perfectly secure. 
 
 3. Should the widow again marry, the annuity continues, but is 
 not subject to the second husband's debts or control. It is a certain 
 means of livelihood for her. 
 
 4. Two great additional advantages of this Fund are, that (i), it is 
 almost absolutely free from that heavy burden on other insurance funds, 
 viz., expenses of management } and (2), that there are no further 
 payments of any kind. 
 
 On much the same principle as that stated in regard to the 
 Age-tax, it becomes necessary, if a new Member of the Scheme 
 is, on his admission, married, or if not, when he does marry, to 
 exa6l from him a Marriage-tax of 2, io/. for each complete 
 year, after the first five, the age of the Member exceeds that of 
 his wife. If, however, he marries the widow of a former Mem- 
 ber^of the Scheme, he is exempted from this tax altogether, un- 
 less, 
 
 Widows' 
 Scheme 
 
 Marriage Tax 
 
9 6 
 
 Historical Notes as to the 
 
 less, of course, on her death he should marry another person, 
 not a contributor's widow. For the purpose of illustration, we 
 give a few more figures: 
 
 Total Entry ist Illustration shewing Entry Money by a Member aged 30, or 
 
 under, and unmarried : 
 
 To the Company 21 o o 
 
 To the Widows' Fund 92 o o 
 
 OtherFees i II 6 
 
 114 " 6* 
 
 ind Illustration. When a Member is 32 years of age, is married to 
 other than a contributor's widow, and his wife is six years younger 
 than himself: 
 
 To the Company 21 o o 
 
 Do. Age-tax a a o 
 
 *3 * o 
 
 To the Widows' Fund 92 o o 
 
 Do. Marriage-tax a 10 o 
 
 94 10 o 
 
 117 12 o 
 
 Other Fees _ I 1 1 6 
 
 "9 3 6 
 
 Illustration shewing the Entry Money at any age : 
 Add to the above 119, 3*. 6</., one guinea for each year his 
 age exceeds 32, and if married, 50*. of Marriage-tax for 
 each year his age exceeds his wife's above six. 
 
 We 
 
 * If the applicant is not a Burgess and Guild Brother, he requires, in addition, to 
 pay for his Guild Ticket /io, 5;., unless he is entitled to enter through his father or 
 the father of his wife, in which case the expense is only ^8, 5*. As the only privilege 
 of the Guild since the Reform Bill, is the right to cleft a Dean, it is for consideration 
 whether these fees should not be reduced, at least as regards application for admission 
 to the Company. 
 
Merchant Company of Edinburgh. 
 
 97 
 
 We shall now glance at a few general matters connefted 
 with the Company, not hitherto mentioned. 
 
 The Company (which is referred to in various Acts of 
 Parliament affefting the city generally) annually eleft, as di- 
 refted by the Aft of Parliament, a member of the Edinburgh 
 Paving Board. 
 
 The Company eleft, also, one of the Ecclesiastical Com- 
 missioners, under the powers given in the recent Aft. The 
 appointment is permanent, and is held by the present Master, 
 Mr Lawson. 
 
 The Master, Assistants, and Treasurer are elefted annually 
 on the first Monday of September. They are the sole Gover- 
 nors, as will be afterwards seen, of Daniel Stewart's Hospital, 
 and their duties as such commence on the same day as those 
 connected with the Company. They are, also, along with 
 others, Governors of Gillespie's Hospital and Free School, and 
 Watson's Hospital j their duties commencing, in the first, on 
 the first Monday of December, and, in the second, on the third 
 Thursday of November. The Master, and the other Company- 
 Governors of the Merchant Maiden Hospital (elefted on the 
 third Monday of Oftober), enter on their duties on the last 
 Monday of Oftober. The Master and Assistants are also Trus- 
 tees on George Grindlay's Estate. 
 
 The Master is also one of the constituent Governors of Dr 
 Schaw's Hospital at Preston, and of the Incorporation of the 
 Orphan Hospital j one of the Trustees under the general Turn- 
 pike 
 
 Paving Board 
 c. 
 
 Master and 
 Assistants 
 
 Master's 
 Dutie 
 
 m 
 
9 8 
 
 Master's 
 Duties 
 
 Company 
 Presentations 
 
 Merchant 
 
 Maiden 
 
 Hospital 
 
 Trinity 
 Hospital 
 
 Historical Notes as to the 
 
 pike Road A6t ; and one of the Extraordinary Managers of 
 the Lunatic Asylum. 
 
 He has, therefore, amongst innumerable other duties, as 
 has been stated by a former Master, " to read all the reports, 
 and advise as to the management of eight [now nine] large 
 estates, situated in different parts of Scotland, besides numerous 
 small properties that claim a share of his attention." 
 
 The meetings conne&ed with the Company and Hospitals 
 are, moreover, exceedingly numerous, and often lengthy 5 and 
 well, therefore, might that Master say, when reviewing his 
 year's labours : " I must honestly tell you, that the num- 
 ber of meetings has been a severe tax on my time, already 
 thoroughly occupied in other pursuits. I was able to be pre- 
 sent at all the meetings, except on one day, when I received 
 notice to attend six meetings at six different places in our city, 
 which fairly baffled me." 
 
 The Company have the following rights of presenta- 
 tion : 
 
 To the Merchant Maiden Hospital. Thirteen presentations, 
 viz., ten in their own right, and three on George Watson's 
 Mortification, the latter being restricted, in the first instance, to 
 girls who are children or grand-children of decayed Merchants 
 in Edinburgh, of the name of Watson or Davidson, preferring 
 always the name of Watson. 
 
 To the Trinity Hospital. Two Presentations. First, one 
 for an old man or a woman, on George Watson's Morti- 
 fication, 
 
Merchant Company of Edinburgh. 
 
 99 
 
 fication, " of the name of Watson or Davidson, preferring 
 always the name of Watson to the name of Davidson." 
 Second, one on Beech's Mortification for a decayed Member 
 of the Company, or for the relil of a Member, or for the law- 
 ful son or daughter of a Member, preferring the names of 
 Beech or Drummond, but preferring the former if both claim. 
 This presentation became vacant in September 1848, when, 
 after the usual interval of twelve months, no application having 
 been made by any individual of the name of Beech or Drum- 
 mond, the Master and Assistants, in place of allowing an out- 
 door pension of 20 to one individual, presented an out-door 
 pension of 10 to each of two unmarried indigent daughters 
 of two deceased Members of the Company, above fifty years 
 of age. 
 
 To the Orphan Hospital. Two Presentations under the deed 
 of settlement and fund, of the late Mr Thomas Tod, merchant 
 in Edinburgh. The right was exercised for the first time in 
 1827, and the title to do so was admitted by the Hospital. 
 The qualification for admission into this Hospital is, that the 
 presentees be not under seven nor above ten years of age as at 
 the date of election. 
 
 The Office-bearers of the Company have an Annual Dinner, 
 to which are invited some of the leading men of the city. This 
 is the only acknowledgment the Office-bearers consent to re- 
 ceive for the great trouble and unwearied interest taken in the 
 affairs of the Company. We had a recent illustration of a gentle- 
 
 orphan 
 
 Hospital 
 
 Annual 
 Dinner 
 
IOO 
 
 Historical Notes as to the 
 
 The Stock of 
 Broom 
 
 Office of 
 Treasurer 
 
 Annual Con- 
 versazione 
 
 man taking, on an emergency, a very great amount of extra 
 personal trouble, but positively declining any acknowledgment 
 whatever.* For some years the first toast after the Dinner was 
 " The Stock of Broom," that being it appears, the symbol 
 of the Company, f 
 
 The office of Treasurer is also purely gratuitous j but, as 
 the late Professor George Wilson observed, "it is the fre- 
 quent custom of the Company to translate the Treasurer, after 
 he has thoroughly learned how wealthy the Corporation is, in- 
 to its Master, so that he may the more liberally care for the 
 widows and orphans, of whom, to so large an extent, the Mer- 
 chant Company is guardian. It must be a pleasant task." 
 
 An interesting feature of late years in the Company, has 
 been the introduction of an Annual Conversazione, given by 
 the Master. 
 
 In this way the Company have had the benefit of Leclures 
 from the late Professor George Wilson,}; Mr Robert Cham- 
 bers, 
 
 " George Lorimer, Esq., afted as Interim Colleaor from the date of Mr Christie's 
 resignation, I4th oaober 1859, until Mr Whitehead's appointment on 6th February 
 1860, but declined to receive any remuneration." Extraft from the Widow? Scheme 
 Annual Accounts, 1859-60. 
 
 t " A modest shrub, but with a great tendency to increase. As such, the consti- 
 tuent Members regarded their Society and plan of charity." Mr Chambers. The artist, 
 it will be seen, has kept this symbol in view in the illustrated head-piece which ap- 
 pears on the first page of these Notes. 
 
 $ The Industrial Museum of Scotland, in its relation to Commercial Enterprise. By 
 George Wilson, M.D., F.R.S.E., Regius Professor of Technology in the University of 
 Edinburgh, and Director of the Industrial Museum of Scotland. (Delivered 4th De- 
 cember 1857). 
 
Merchant Company of Edinburgh. 
 
 101 
 
 bers,* Dr Coldstream,f and Mr Keith Johnston. To Mr 
 
 
 Chambers's most admirable Lefture we have several times re- 
 
 Lecture of 
 
 
 Mr Chambers 
 
 ferred, and we use the liberty of extracting the following para- 
 
 
 graphs from it, on a subject which cannot but be of much 
 
 
 interest to those of our readers who may not yet have had the 
 
 
 advantage of perusing the Lecture itself, we refer to the high 
 
 
 position held by our old Merchants. The extracts are long, 
 
 
 but we are reluctant to abbreviate and spoil what has been so 
 
 
 ably written by an honoured Master of the Company. 
 
 
 Speaking of the Merchants in the sixteenth and seventeenth 
 
 
 centuries, 
 
 
 " Who, while conducting a considerable wholesale business, and 
 
 Merchants 
 
 even a little banking, had also retail shops, generally placed towards 
 
 in i6th&i7th 
 Centuries 
 
 the public street, and conducted by subalterns. In Edinburgh, in 
 
 
 the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, there were traffickers of this 
 
 
 kind, some planted in the great thoroughfares, and some in more retired 
 
 
 situations. They were, in some instances, men with pretensions to pedi- 
 
 
 greemen who took a prominent part in public affairs, entertained princes 
 
 
 and sovereigns, founded families, and so forth. Thus, a Hamilton of 
 
 
 the house of Innerwick, was what was called a merchant in the West 
 
 
 Bow ; he acquired lands he fell as a gallant gentleman in Pinkie Field ; 
 
 
 his eldest son was the ancestor of the Earls of Haddington ; his second 
 
 
 son, a secular priest, was Rector of the University of Paris, and one of 
 
 
 the Council of the League who offered the French crown to the King 
 
 
 of 
 
 
 * Edinburgh Merchants and Merchandise in Old Times. By Robert Chambers, 
 
 
 F.S.A.Sc., F.G.S., F.L.S., &c., Author of the Traditions of Edinburgh. (Delivered 
 
 
 I4th February, 1859.) 
 
 
 t The Merchant the World's Benefactor. By John Coldstream, M.D., F.R.C.P.E., 
 
 
 (Delivered fcgth March 1860.) 
 
 
IO2 
 
 Historical Notes as to the 
 
 Latter part of 
 i6th Century 
 
 of Spain in 1591. Contemporary with him, occupying a shop in the 
 middle row of buildings alongside of St Giles's Church, was a similar 
 merchant, named Edward Hope j his father is believed to have been a 
 Frenchman who came to Scotland in the train of the Princess Mag- 
 dalen, daughter of Francis I., when she was wedded to James V., in 
 1537. While externally but a shopkeeper in the Luckenbooths, there 
 can be no doubt that Edward Hope carried on foreign trade upon a 
 considerable scale, and was a man of large means ; of which last faft, 
 his extensive mansion in Tod's Close, Castlehill, stood a few years 
 ago as good evidence. This worthy merchant was Commissioner for 
 Edinburgh in the Parliament which settled the Reformation, and he 
 afterwards, for Protestantism's sake, bore the brunt of the Lady Mary's 
 gentle wrath. Through his elder son, he was the ancestor of all the 
 Hopes who have since stood so conspicuous in rank, in wealth, and in 
 public service in Scotland ; while from his younger son, are descended 
 the famous mercantile family of the Hopes of Amsterdam." 
 
 Referring to the latter part of the sixteenth century, Mr 
 Chambers says, 
 
 " I may enumerate a few other considerable merchants of this period, 
 all of whom had good houses in the city, where they dwelt as well as 
 carried on business. In what was latterly called Brodie's Close, between 
 Macmoran's and Gourlay's houses, lived William Little of Over- 
 Libberton, at one time Provost, and the ancestor of the family now 
 represented by Mr Little Gilmour of the Inch. It connects merchan- 
 dise in an interesting manner with professional and literary things, that 
 Clement, the brother of William, was the Commissary of Edinburgh, 
 and one of the greatest benefactors to the infant University. Provost 
 Little's house, dated 1570, was taken down so lately as 1836, having 
 continued all the time an entailed property of the family. The North Bri- 
 thh Advertiser printing-office now stands on its site. Nicol Udwart, 
 an active and wealthy merchant, had a stately house surrounding a 
 square court in Niddry's Wynd ; and there King James was living in 
 
 February 
 
Merchant Company of Edinburgh. 
 
 103 
 
 February 1591, when the Bonny Earl of Moray was slaughtered at Dun- 
 nibrissle. A neighbour of Udwart, styled Alexander Clark of Balbirnie, 
 also a wealthy merchant, and at one time Provost of the city, gave ac- 
 commodation at the same time to the Chancellor Maitland. On 
 another occasion, a little earlier, we hear of King James living with 
 William Fowler, who was also a merchant in Edinburgh. The King, 
 it is stated, went out to hunt, promising to return to dinner in Fowler's 
 house at one o'clock. Fowler lived in the Anchor Close, and his 
 house, in which, as we see, he had entertained royalty, was taken down 
 only three months ago by the Railway Access Company. It stood, in- 
 deed, in a narrow alley ; but it had the advantage of a free aspect over 
 the country to the north of the city. In the Index to the State-Papers 
 connected with Scotland, lately published by Mr Thorpe, William 
 Fowler figures as a partisan of the English Protestant interest, continu- 
 ally engaged in giving information to Sir Francis Walsingham." 
 
 Speaking of the Trades of Edinburgh, 
 
 " We have all heard much of George Heriot, who was made gold- 
 smith to the Queen in 1597, and who, afterwards transplanting himself 
 to London, there completed the fortune which became the means of 
 founding his celebrated hospital. But there was a contemporary Edin- 
 burgh goldsmith of even greater importance, in the person of Thomas 
 Foulis, who seems to have been to King James what the Bank of 
 England was to William Pitt two hundred years later. It was a loan 
 from Thomas which enabled the King to march against the rebellious 
 Catholic lords at Aberdeen in 1593. He stood creditor to the King, in 
 the ensuing year, for the sum of 14,598 Scots, and for this James 
 lodged with him two gold drinking-cups, amounting in all to the 
 weight of fifteen pounds five ounces. In May 1601, the royal debt to 
 Thomas amounted to the enormous sum of 180,000 Scots, and a par- 
 liamentary arrangement had to be made for its payment. One of the 
 benefits which Thomas Foulis derived from being the King's creditor to 
 so large an amount, was a grant of the lead-mines of Lanarkshire, 
 
 which 
 
 Trades 
 
IO4 
 
 Historical Notes as to the 
 
 Early part of 
 lyth Century 
 
 which he worked with good result, and handed ultimately to his grand- 
 daughter, who married James Hope, the ancestor of the noble family of 
 Hopetoun. Thus, it will be observed, what constituted, and yet in 
 part constitutes, the fortune of the Earls of Hopetoun, came orginally 
 from one of our Parliament Close goldsmiths." 
 
 At a subsequent part of the Lecture Mr Chambers said : 
 
 " When we pass on to the early part of the seventeenth century, 
 we still find merchants of considerable importance in Edinburgh. 
 They usually are either the descendants or the progenitors of good 
 families. As an example of the former, we may take James Murray, 
 of whose living locality in our city I can say nothing, but who, at his 
 death in old age in 1649, was laid in the Greyfriars' Churchyard. 
 James was a younger son of Patrick Murray of Philiphaugh, and to 
 each of his three sons, by Bethia Maule of the Panmure family, he 
 left an estate. * * * Another of this class was John Trotter, son of 
 Thomas Trotter of Catchelraw. He acquired by merchandise in Edin- 
 burgh the means of purchasing the estate of Morton-hall, and thus laid 
 the foundation of a family which still exists in great note and opulence. 
 A third was John Sinclair, a cadet of the old house of Longformacus. 
 Being bred a merchant, as Douglas's Baronetage explicitly declares, he 
 realized so much wealth by his business as to be able, in 1624, to pur- 
 chase the estate of Stevenston in Haddingtonshire, to which he after- 
 wards added other lands, forming in whole a large estate. The King 
 conferred on him a Nova Scotia baronetcy, which is still enjoyed by. 
 his descendants. We have a fourth instance in George Blair, a second 
 son of Patrick Blair of Pittendreich. The wealth which this gentle- 
 man acquired by merchandise in Edinburgh, was the means of purchas- 
 ing the estate of Lethendy in Perthshire, to which his son added that 
 of Glasclune. Another may still be added, in James Riddell, of the 
 antient family of Riddell of that Ilk. This gentleman, after pursuing 
 a business career for some time in Poland, where many Scotch youths 
 then found occupation, returned to Edinburgh about the year 1603, set 
 up business there, married a lady of means styled Bessie Allan, and 
 
 died 
 
Merchant Company of Edinburgh. 
 
 105 
 
 died a wealthy man. His son, who became a merchant in Leith, 
 purchased the estate of Kinglass, which he left to a line of descend- 
 ants." 
 
 Further on in his Lecture Mr Chambers added : 
 
 " Another particular of the last century may be adverted to 
 namely, that there continued to be a very great infusion among our 
 merchants of what may be called an aristocratic element. On this 
 subject I am aided by the recollections of the late venerable Clerk of the 
 Company, Mr James Jollie,* extending nearly a century back from the 
 present time. To take the leading firms among the silk-mercers. Of 
 John Hope & Company, the said John Hope was a younger son of Hope 
 Of Stewart & Lindsay, the former was the son 
 
 of 
 
 of Rankeillour in Fife. 
 
 * Mr James Jollie, W.S., was Clerk for the long period of sixty-three years. He died 
 on 3 oth August 1846, in the 9131 year of his age, and the Merchant Company, as 
 proposed by the Master and Assistants, resolved as follows : 
 
 " In noticing the death of James Jollie, Esq., their Senior Clerk, the Merchant Com- 
 pany willingly record their high estimation of his character, and their deep gratitude for 
 his valuable services during a period of sixty-three years. They will ever cherish an 
 affectionate regard for his memory, and now respectfully offer to his son, Mr Walter 
 Jollie, long his associate in business, and in the service of the Company, and to the 
 other members of the family, their profound sympathy under a bereavement, which, 
 though neither sudden nor unexpected, is not on that account the Jess severe. On 
 contrasting the present circumstances of the Company, and those of the Hospitals 
 under their care, with what these were when Mr Jollie commenced his period of 
 service, the Company thankfully recognise the kindness of Divine Providence in the 
 prosperity which has marked their progress; but at the same time they cannot forget 
 the many advantages which must have resulted from the high talent, unwearied dili- 
 gence, and unswerving fidelity, which Mr Jollie uniformly displayed in the discharge 
 of his very onerous duties in watching over and promoting the interests of these Insti- 
 tutions. In the whole of his official conduct, and in the extensive intercourse which he 
 necessarily had with individuals and public bodies, often in very important and delicate 
 circumstances, he ever combined with great powers of mind, an affability and kindness 
 of deportment, which secured from all the highest admiration of his professional talents, 
 and the most sincere esteem for his personal character." 
 
 Aristocratic 
 Merchants 
 
io6 
 
 Historical Notes as to the 
 
 Merchandise 
 and the 
 Nobility 
 
 of Charles Stewart of Ballechen, and the latter a younger son of Lind- 
 say of Wormiston. Among the leading drapers 2 in the firm of Lind- 
 say & Douglas, the former was a younger son of Lindsay of Eagles- 
 cairney, and the latter of Douglas of Garvaldfoot. Of Dundas, Inglis, 
 & Callander, the first was son to Dundas of Fingask in Stirlingshire, 
 the family from which the Earl of Zetland and Baron Amesbury are 
 descended j the second was a younger son of Sir John Inglis of Cra- 
 mond, and succeeded to that baronetage, which, it may be remarked, 
 took its rise in an Edinburgh merchant of the seventeenth century. 
 Another eminent cloth-dealing firm, Hamilton & Dalrymple, com- 
 prehended John Dalrymple, a younger brother of the well-known Lord 
 Hailes, and a great grandson of the first Lord Stair; he was at one time 
 Master of the Merchant Company. In a fourth firm, Stewart, Wallace, 
 & Stoddart, the leading partner was a son of Stewart of Dunearn. 
 The leading wine-merchants and bankers of those days were also men 
 of family ; but this, of course, is the less worthy of remark, as it con- 
 tinues in some degree to be the case at the present day. 
 
 That so many landed families amongst us have descended from Edin- 
 burgh merchants is no singular fact, for trade efflorescing into nobility 
 is an old phenomenon in the south. There we have a Duke of Lewds 
 descended from the apprentice of Sir William Hewit the goldsmith ; 
 the Wentworth Fitzwilliams, from a worthy London merchant 
 knighted by Henry VIII. From the nautical adventurer Phipps, of 
 the time of Charles II., come the Eatls of Mulgrave. Cornwallis is 
 from a London merchant ; Coventry from a mercer ; Radnor, from a 
 silk-manufacturer ; Warwick, from a wool-stapler ; Pomfret, from a 
 Calais merchant. Essex, Dartmouth, Craven, Tankerville, Darnley, 
 Cowper, and Romney, have all had a similar origin. More recently 
 ennobled families the Dacres, the Dormers, the Dudley-Wards, the 
 Hills, the Carringtons, have in like manner taken their rise from suc- 
 cessful trade. It is an origin surely as honourable as dexterous courtier- 
 ship, gifts of church-lands, or mediaeval robbery and plunder." 
 
 We have now, except as to the Hospitals, brought our 
 
 " Notes" 
 
Merchant Company of Edinburgh. 
 
 " Notes " of the Company continuously to a conclusion ; and we 
 think we have said enough to shew generally, the nature of 
 its actings during nearly 200 years the spirit with which it has 
 conduced its affairs its activity and usefulness in furthering 
 liberal and enlightened views and in a word, its right to retain 
 the foremost rank amongst mercantile companies in Scotland, 
 and, in local matters, to be considered, what a prominent 
 Bailie in the Council lately called it, the Sword Arm of the 
 City. 
 
 THE HOSPITALS. 
 
 We shall now advert, though very briefly, to the noble 
 charitable Institutions connected with the Company, which are 
 scattered over all parts of the city, and are the means of doin^ 
 an incalculable amount of good. 
 
 The oldest in date, and the first, therefore, to claim our 
 attention, is 
 
 THE MERCHANT MAIDEN HOSPITAL. 
 
 The Company had in hand their own Funds for the " relief 
 and supply of," as their own Charter terms it, " the Members 
 that may fall into decay, and of their indigent Widows and 
 Orphans." But they became early impressed with a desire to 
 establish a special institution for the education and maintenance 
 of female children of indigent Members of the Company. 
 
 The 
 
 107 
 
 The Hospitals 
 
 Merchant 
 
 Maiden 
 
 Hospital 
 
io8 
 
 Historical Notes as to the 
 
 Maiden 
 Hospital 
 
 The Company had no sooner conceived the idea than they 
 went energetically to work to obtain the necessary funds 5 and 
 though they had recourse, mainly, to their own Members, yet 
 they sought aid also from other quarters. Foremost amongst 
 those unconnected with the Company was Mrs Mary Erskine, 
 widow of Mr James Hair, druggist, and a connexion, it is 
 understood, of the noble family of Mar. So much interest did 
 this lady take in the Hospital, that it was resolved to use her 
 name as Joint-Foundress along with the Company. Accord- 
 ingly, in the Acl of Parliament, dated Z5th March 1707, in- 
 corporating the Hospital, it is stated " that the Company of 
 Merchants of Edinburgh, and Mary Erskine, relicl of James 
 Hair, druggist in Edinburgh, with the assistance of several noble 
 and generous benefactors, had ere&ed an Hospital for maintain- 
 ing and educating poor young female children." With so much 
 zeal had the subscription been prosecuted that, before the con- 
 clusion of 1696, a sum was subscribed for the " lasses," which 
 amounted to 32,000 merks. For a number of years Members 
 joining the Company paid, in addition to their usual fees, a 
 donation for the Hospital. The Hospital at first was in Bristo 
 Street, but the house there having become too limited, the 
 present handsome building in Lauriston was built in 1815. 
 A good view of the old Hospital at Bristo will be found at 
 page 4.60 of Maitland's History of Edinburgh. 
 
 This Hospital is placed under the management of twenty- 
 two Governors, of whom the Company send thirteen, viz., four 
 
 from 
 
Merchant Company of Edinburgh. 
 
 IO9 
 
 from the Master and Assistants, eight from the Company at 
 
 
 large, and a Physician from the City of Edinburgh. Eight 
 
 
 other Governors are composed of three Ministers of Edinburgh 
 
 
 and suburbs, and five gentlemen elected annually by the 
 
 
 Magistrates and Council from among themselves, which five 
 
 
 last come in place of the old Dean of Guild and the four old 
 
 
 Bailies. The Earl of Mar .is a Life Governor. The Master 
 
 
 of the Merchant Company presides at all meetings of the 
 
 
 Governors. 
 
 
 The title for admission is 
 
 
 " Being children or grandchildren of such who are or were Mer- 
 
 Qualification 
 
 chant-Burgesses of Edinburgh, or Ministers of Edinburgh, Canongate, 
 
 for admission 
 
 Leith, or West Church, or who have been Governors of, or Benefactors 
 
 
 to, the Hospital ;" reserving to Patrons their right of presenting* any 
 
 
 girls who are objects of charity, unless by the patronage it be otherwise 
 
 
 restricted. Their age must not be under seven, nor above eleven j but 
 
 
 they may continue in the Hospital until seventeen years of age. Va- 
 
 
 cancies are filled up on the last Monday of November and May annually. 
 
 
 The internal arrangements of the Hospital are conducted 
 
 Internal 
 
 
 Management 
 
 in a most satisfactory manner. The Lady Supeiintendent and 
 
 of Hospital 
 
 the Teachers are persons eminently qualified for, and take a 
 
 
 marked interest in, their duties. The consequence is, that the 
 
 
 girls, when they pass from under their charge, are accom- 
 
 
 plished, and many of them elegant, young women ; and, per- 
 
 
 haps, it would be difficult to point to a more gratifying sight 
 
 
 in Edinburgh, than that exhibited at the Annual Examination, 
 
 
 when 
 
 
 . . 
 
 * For details of these Presentations see the Annual Printed Accounts. 
 
 
I IO 
 
 Historical Notes as to the 
 
 Mr Walker's 
 Account of 
 Hospital 
 
 when these young girls, with intelligence and happiness 
 beaming in their faces, meet to shew the progress they have 
 made in their studies, and astonish visitors by the extent, 
 variety, and excellency of their attainments. It is impossible 
 for even a stranger not to feel a glow of pride at such an In- 
 stitution being in Edinburgh ; and how much more gratifying 
 is it to the Governors, and to the Members of the Merchant 
 Company, who have done so much to bring about these happy 
 results. 
 
 From an interesting account of this Hospital, in the posses- 
 sion of Mr Robert Walker, the Treasurer (by whom it was 
 written), we extra6l the following paiticulars : 
 
 " The number of girls received into the House has been increased 
 from time to time. At present, the number on the roll is 84. This 
 is not quite so many as the house can accommodate, but is perhaps as 
 great a number as it is advisable to have in one establishment. The 
 age at which these children are received is from 7 to u, and they may 
 remain in the Hospital until 17 complete. The greater number of 
 the girls who have been received into the Hospital have been daughters 
 or grand-daughters of Members of the Merchant Company, who have 
 fallen back in their circumstances, and to them an education equal, if 
 not superior, to that given to girls in the middle ranks of society, is 
 afforded. The branches taught in the Hospital are, English, including 
 geography, history, composition, &c., writing and arithmetic, French, 
 German, drawing, vocal and instrumental music, physical science, em- 
 bracing the elements of botany, geology, natural history, chemistry, &c., 
 and likewise dancing and needlework. In addition to these, great at- 
 tention is paid to the religious instruction of the girls, and the clergy- 
 man, upon whose ministry they attend, and who is one of the present 
 
 Governors, 
 
Merchant Company of Edinburgh. 
 
 1 1 1 
 
 Governors, has frequently stated that he meets with few young people 
 who are better instructed in the doCtrines of Christianity. The girls 
 are also instructed, as far as practicable, in household duties. 
 
 " With the view of cultivating their tastes as well as amusing and 
 gratifying them, the girls are taken to any interesting or instructive 
 sights which may be exhibited, such as exhibitions of paintings, &c. 
 They have also an annual excursion, which is looked forward to with 
 much interest, when they are accompanied by the Governors as well 
 as by the Matron and Governesses. In this way they have visited Mel- 
 rose, Dirleton, Nidpath Castle, Falls of Clyde, &c." 
 
 " Saturday is a holiday for the girls, from 1 1 o'clock, and such of 
 them as have parents or relations in town are permitted to spend it with 
 them, returning to the house at 8 p.m. They have also six weeks' 
 holidays at Midsummer, and a week at Christmas, which they are per- 
 mitted to spend with their friends. 
 
 11 On leaving the Hospital at the age of 17, a sum of money for outfit 
 is allowed to each girl. 
 
 " During the five years fiom 1855 to 1 860, 6 1 girls left the Hospital, 
 and it was ascertained that 4 of them were employed as dressmakers, 
 II were residing with their relatives, and 46 had either got situations 
 as governesses or were desirous of being so employed. From an in- 
 quiry made in 1849, it appeared that there had left the Hospital, 
 between 1st January 1829 and 1st January 1849, 2I 7 g^ 3 * anc * ' c 
 was ascertained, that of that number there were in situations, 129 ; 
 married, 49 ; dead, 14; abroad, 14; occupation not ascertained, II. 
 
 " It may be stated that the girls generally give satisfaction as gover- 
 nesses. Many of them are known to have liberal salaries and to be 
 highly appreciated in their situations , and not a few of them are 
 married and moving in a respeCtable sphere of life. 
 
 " The Matron and the Governesses shew the utmost kindness to the 
 girls under their charge, doing all in their power to gain their confi- 
 dence and affeCtion j and it is believed that they enjoy this to a great 
 extent. The consequences are, that after leaving the Hospital many 
 
 of 
 
I 12 
 
 Historical Notes as to the 
 
 
 of the girls continue to correspond and consult with them, in matters 
 
 
 of importance, and gratefully acknowledge the care and kindness be- 
 
 
 stowed upon them in their childhood." 
 
 
 This Hospital has extensive estates, the principal of which 
 
 
 is the estate of Peterhead, in Aberdeenshire, which includes 
 
 
 the town of Peterhead, held feu of the Hospital, and contain- 
 
 
 ing a population of 7900 persons. This property formerly 
 
 
 belonged to the Earls Marischal of Scotland, and was for- 
 
 
 feited to the Crown after the Rebellion in 1715. It was pur- 
 
 
 chased by the Governors in 1728, and yields a very large 
 
 
 return. The Governors are also proprietors of the estates 
 
 
 called Ladyrig and Doggerflat, near Kelso. 
 
 
 GEORGE WATSON'S HOSPITAL. 
 
 Watson's 
 Hospital 
 
 In 1722, the Company received a great accession to their 
 
 
 charities in a bequest of 12,000 sterling, by Mr George 
 
 
 Watson, a merchant in Edinburgh, who died in that year, and 
 
 
 who mortified this sum for the maintenance and education of 
 
 
 the sons of the Merchants of Edinburgh, giving a preference 
 
 
 to the sons and grandsons of the Members of the Merchant 
 
 
 Company.* 
 
 Armorial 
 
 On the recommendation of the Master and Assistants, 
 
 Bearings 
 
 Governors 
 
 
 * Amongst other legacies, he left 5000 merles Scots to Heriot's Hospital, for the 
 
 maintenance of two children j and this legacy is recorded on the wall of the dining-hall 
 
 of Heriot's Hospital. Steven's History of Herhfi Hospital, New ed., by Dr Bedford, 
 
 P- 33 
 
Merchant Company of Edinburgh. 
 
 Governors of the Hospital, as mentioned in their Minute of 
 sederunt, of date 2nd December 1738, the surviving Trustees 
 of Mr Watson matriculated his and the Hospital's coat-of- 
 arms in the Lyon-Office, conform to the following blazon 
 thereof, dated 2oth January 1739 : 
 
 " Argent, an oak-tree rising out of a mount frudual proper, sur- 
 mounted with a fess waved azure, charged with three besmts or j above 
 the shield an helmet, befiting their degree, with a mantle gules ; 
 doubling argent, and on wreath of their colours, is set for their crest 
 a flaming heart proper, and in an escrol above, this motto, Ex corde 
 charttai" 
 
 This coat-of-arms, Mr Adams, the architect, affixed to the 
 front of the Hospital. It is to be observed, that the Hospital 
 foundation-stone is at the north-east corner, and is dated 22nd 
 May 1738. 
 
 The education and advantages the boys of this Hospital 
 enjoy are great. They receive a thorough English education 
 (including mathematics), and Latin, Greek, and French. 
 They are taught, in addition, drawing, vocal and instrumental 
 music, and dancing, and other healthful exercises. More than 
 a hundred years ago, Maitland, when writing in his History of 
 Edinburgh an account of this Hospital, alluded, in rapturous 
 terms, to the manner in which George Watson's boys were 
 cared for. " 7 he treatment of the boys in this Hospital is 
 such, that probably it is nowhere to be paralleled. . . . 
 They are apparelled, in the modern dress, in a very handsome 
 
 Education 
 
 Maitland's 
 
 Account of 
 
 Hospital 
 
Historical Notes -as to the 
 
 Diet of Boys 
 
 Allowance to 
 Boys 
 
 Trades 
 selected by 
 Boys 
 
 manner, more, in all respets, like the sons of gentlemen" than 
 poor children. Then follows an account of their diet, suffi- 
 ciently amusing at the present day : 
 
 " Their diet, from the first day of the month of March to the ist 
 of November is as follows: for breakfast, pottage or hasty pudding, 
 with ale or buttermilk; and from the ist November to the ist of 
 March, pottage and ale. For dinner, fiom March the ist to the I5th 
 of June, on Sundays, Tuesdays, and Thursdays, beef and broth; from 
 the 1 5th of June to the ist of August, on the said days, lamb, either 
 roasted or made into hodge-podge ; from the ist of August to the 1st of 
 November, likewise on the same days alternately, roasted mutton, and 
 beef and mutton boiled in the broth; and from the 1st of November to 
 the ist of March, beef and broth, with plenty of greens and roots, ac- 
 cording to the season; with eight ounces of bread and half a mutchkin 
 [half an English pint] of ale each, during the times aforesaid. For 
 dinner, on the Mondays, Wedn sdays, and Fridays, milk and half a 
 pound of bread ; and for dinner on Saturdays, barley milk, with eight 
 ounces of bread throughout the year; and for supper, bread and ale the 
 year round." 
 
 Besides the liberality experienced by the boys in the Hos- 
 pital, they receive also very handsome allowances when they 
 leave it ; amongst others, 50 fees to those becoming ap- 
 prentices, and a College allowance to those of pregnant 
 genius. 
 
 In April 1859, a return was prepared by the Treasurer of 
 the Hospital (Mr James Young), shewing the different pro- 
 fessions and trades selected by 243 boys who had left the 
 Hospital betwixt November 1835 an( l November 1858. 
 
 List 
 
Merchant Company of Edinburgh. 
 
 IJ 5 
 
 List of Professions and Trades selefled by 243 Boys iuho have left George 
 Watson's Hospital, from Nov. 1835 to Nov. 1858. 
 
 Clerks in Railways, Insurance Offices, &c., 24 
 
 Solicitors and Writers, 18 
 
 High School and College, 12 
 
 Accountants, 10 
 
 Teachers, 5 
 
 Haberdashers, Drapers, and Hosiers, 22 
 
 Grocers, and Wine and Spirit Merchants, 21 
 
 Booksellers, - 18 
 
 General Merchants, 13 
 
 Druggists, 9 
 
 Engravers and Lithographers, 9 
 
 Sailors, 9 
 
 Bakers, . 7 
 
 Went Abroad, 7 
 
 General Agents, 6 
 
 Clothiers and Tailors, 6 
 
 Brass and Iron Founders, 6 
 
 Cabinetmakers and Upholsterers, 6 
 
 Printers, 5 
 
 Ironmongers, _ 4 
 
 Metal Merchants, 3 
 
 Seed Merchants, 3 
 
 Engineers, 3 
 
 Joiners, 2 
 
 Plumbers, 2 
 
 Papermaker, Painter, Wood - Merchant, Hatter, 
 China Merchant, Fancy Leather Manufacturer, 
 Broker, Drysalter, Ironfounder, Turner, Boot- 
 maker, Currier, Watchmaker one each 13 
 
 243 
 
 Trades 
 selefted by 
 Boys 
 
n6 
 
 Historical Notes as to the 
 
 Estates 
 
 Merchiston 
 Castle 
 
 The Governors in 1852 obtained an A61 authorizing them 
 to admit day-scholars, and it has been the means of much 
 good. 
 
 The Governors are proprietors of the estate of Cockburn, in 
 the parish of Currie ; of the estate of Preston, in the parish of 
 Prestonpans ; and of the estate of Spylaw, in the .parish of 
 Kelso. 
 
 They are also the proprietors of the estate of Merchiston at 
 Morningside, including the Dove Croft (now called Abbots- 
 ford Park), and Merchiston Park, and on which numerous 
 handsome villas have now been ereftcd, and feus are being 
 still rapidily given off, the advantages held out to feuars being 
 liberal. The rate of feu-duty is 21 an acre. Grangebank 
 and Boroughmuirhead are also parts of the Estate. 
 
 The estate of Merchiston belonged formerly to the Napiei 
 family. It has many interesting historical features. " Near to 
 the western extremity of Boroughmuir (says Wilson), the vener- 
 able Tower of Merchiston still stands entire, the birthplace of 
 John Napier, the inventor of logarithms, to whom, according to 
 Hume, the title of a great man is more justly due than to any 
 other whom his country ever produced. He was born in 1 550." 
 We give a single anecdote of Napier, as he was regarded by 
 his contemporaries as possessed of mysterious supernatural 
 powers : 
 
 " A field in front of Merchiston still bears the name of The Doo Park 
 as the scene of one of his necromantic exploits. The pigeons of a 
 
 neighbouring 
 
Merchant Company of Edinburgh. 
 
 117 
 
 neighbouring laird having annoyed him by frequent inroads on his 
 grain, he threatened at length to arrest them red hand^ and was laugh- 
 ingly dared to catch them if he could. The depredators made their 
 appearance as usual on the morrow, and partook so heartily of the 
 grain which had been previously saturated with alcohol by the reclaim- 
 ing owner, that he easily made the bewitched pigeons captives, to the 
 no small astonishment and awe of his neighbours." 
 
 Watson's Hospital is placed under the management of twen- 
 ty Governors, of whom the Master, Assistants, and Treasurer 
 of the Merchant Company form fourteen. The other six 
 Governors are, the Minister of the Old Church, for the time 
 being, or when vacant another minister, [the minister of New 
 Greyfriars at present a6r,s,] and five gentlemen, elected by the 
 Magistrates and Town Council. The Master of the Com- 
 pany presides as Preses at all Meetings of the Governors, 
 and there is no quorum or business unless six of the Master 
 and Assistants are present. The Establishment at present 
 consists of about 100 in-door pupils and day-scholars. 
 
 The qualification for admission is as follows : 
 
 Resident Boys. The sons or grandsons of such who are or were 
 Merchants, Burgesses, and Guild Brothers of Edinburgh, or Ministers 
 of the Old Church of Edinburgh j those of the name of Watson being 
 always to be preferred in the first place, and those of the name of David- 
 son in the second place. In case of a competition the children or grand- 
 children of the Members of the Merchant Company, and of the 
 Ministers of the Old Church of Edinburgh, are always to be preferred, 
 except they be of the name of Watson or Davidson, who are still to be 
 preferred in the order above set down. The ordinary eledlion of boys 
 is twice a year, on the third lawful day of April and Odtober yearly ; 
 
 and 
 
 Governors 
 
 Qualification 
 for Admission 
 
n8 
 
 Historical Notes as to the 
 
 Gillespie's 
 Hospital and 
 School 
 
 and boys must not be under seven nor above ten years of age. A dona- 
 tion of 400 entitles the donor to a right of presentation. Various 
 other privileges are granted to donors. 
 
 Day Scholars. Boys shall not be under seven or above twelve years of 
 age, and shall be of the same classes, and of the same description in all 
 other respects with the other boys in the Hospital, and may be kept at 
 school till they attain the age of fifteen years. The election is twice 
 a year, on the third lawful days of April and October. 
 
 GILLESPIE'S HOSPITAL AND FREE SCHOOL. 
 
 The Merchant Company had a gratifying proof of con- 
 fidence in 1798, on the death of Mr James Gillespie, 
 of Spylaw, in the parish of Colinton, an extensive mer- 
 chant and snuff manufacturer. He having no near relative, 
 conveyed to the Merchant Company his estate of Spylaw and 
 other property, for the purpose of founding and endowing 
 an hospital or charitable institution, within the city of Edin- 
 burgh or suburbs, for the aliment and maintenance of old 
 men and women, and for the endowment of a charitable or 
 free school within the city of Edinburgh, or suburbs thereof, 
 for the education of poor boys, who are to be taught reading, 
 writing, and arithmetic. Mr Gillespie died on 8th April 1797, 
 and the Governors, in compliance with Mr Gillespie's will, 
 erected the present Hospital and School, both of which 
 have been productive of a great amount of good. There is 
 perhaps no Hospital in Edinburgh which has greater claims 
 than this on the public ; and it is to be regretted that its 
 
 limited 
 
Merchant Company of Edinburgh. 
 
 119 
 
 limited funds prevent it being as useful as it otherwise would 
 be. At present the Hospital contains about forty old men and 
 women, many of whom have occupied superior positions in 
 society, and who are maintained in the Hospital ; whilst the 
 school is the means of educating about two hundred children 
 selected from the most destitute classes of the community. 
 
 The Governors had to stand the brunt of some abuse at the 
 erection of the Hospital, as they bought a piece of ground on 
 which stood a venerable old mansion, and its demolition gave 
 offence in some quarters. Wilson, in his Memorials of Edin- 
 burgh in the Olden Time, vol. ii. p. 129, thus refers to it and its 
 former proprietors : 
 
 " Within a like distance of the antient Tower of Metchiston, and 
 directly between it and the town, another old mansion of the Napiers 
 attracted the eye of the curious. 
 
 This was the picturesque half-castellated edifice of Wrychtishousis, 
 unfortunately acquired by the trustees of Mr Gillespie, a wealthy and 
 benevolent tobacconist, who bequeathed his whole fortune to found an 
 hospital for the aged poor. By them it was entirely demolished in 1 800, 
 and the hospital built in its place. The whole -'walls of the old build- 
 ing were crowded with armorial bearings designed to perpetuate the 
 memory of the noble alliances by which the family succession of the 
 Napiers of Wrychtishousis had been continued from early times. The 
 earliest records of this antient family which have been discovered shew 
 that William Napier, the owner of the old mansion in 1390, was then 
 Constable of Edinburgh Castle, and maintained that important strong- 
 hold at the beginning of the following century, with the aid of Archi- 
 bald Earl of Douglas, and the unfortunate Duke of Roihesay, against 
 Henry IV. at the head of the whole military force of England.' Among 
 the sculptures which have survived the destruction of the building, one 
 
 Inmates 
 
 Wrychtis- 
 
 houus 
 
I2O 
 
 Historical Notes as to the 
 
 Lord 
 
 is built over the doorway of Gillespie's School ; having a tree cut on it, 
 bearing for fruit the stars and crescents of the family arms, and the 
 Dotninus est illuminatio mea ; another placed over the hospital well has 
 this legend, below a boldly cut heraldic device, Constantia et labore. 1450. 
 and Patrice et poiferis. 1513. Altogether there were probably included 
 in the decorations of this single building more quaint and curious alle- 
 gories and inscriptions than are now left to reward our investigation 
 among all the antiquities of the old town. The only remains of this 
 singular mansion that have escaped the wreck are the sculptured pedi- 
 ments and heraldic carvings built into the boundary walls of the Hospital 
 and a few others." 
 
 Lord Cockburn also thus referred to it: 
 
 " A very curious edifice stood on the very spot where the modern 
 building is erected. It was called Wryttes-Houses, and belonged 
 antiently to a branch of the family of Napier.* It wjs a keep, pre- 
 siding over a group of inferior buildings, most of it as old as the middle 
 of the fourteenth century, all covered with heraldic and other devices, 
 and all delightfully picturesque. Nothing could be more striking 
 when seen against the evening sky. Many a feudal gathering did that 
 tower see on the Borough Moor ; and many a time did the inventor of 
 logarithms, whose castle of Merchiston was near, enter it." 
 
 The Trustees of the Hospital are proprietors also, as already 
 said, of the charming and beautiful estate of Spylaw, near Colin- 
 ton, a portion of which has been ieued off from time to time by 
 the Governors. As has been said, " its scenes delight the artist 
 
 by 
 
 * There is a rery good view of its position in one of Clerk of Eldin's Sketches, 
 printed for the Bannatyne Club ; and an excellent representation of its appearance, 
 from a drawing by Charles Kilpatrick Sharp, in Wilson's Memtrials if Edinburgh in tte 
 Olden font, TO!, ii., p. 208. 
 
Merchant Company of Edinburgh. 
 
 121 
 
 by their beauty, and have often been delineated on canvas; 
 whilst the poet has spread its renown in the sweet strains of 
 Bonnie Bonaly." A part of this estate was feued to Lord 
 Cockburn, and ft is to it that be so touchingly and beauti- 
 fully refers in his Memorials : 
 
 " In March 181 I, 1 married and set op my rural household gods at 
 Bonaly, in the parish of Cofinton, close by the northern base of the 
 
 Lord 
 CbdkhwB's 
 
 HK,fe. 
 
 never leave that paradise. I began by an annual lease of a few square 
 yards, and a scarcely habitable farm-boose. But realizing the pro&na- 
 tions of Auburn, I have destroyed a village and erected a tower, and 
 
 r\i~A rVi Iianifv n.f i lLj.-inl.il vmJ !*! y_-,_.|.;-. - jr.-. .t.. . 
 
 reached tne dignity or a twenty-acred laud, .tverytning except tne two 
 bums, the few old trees, and the mountains, are my own work, and to a 
 
 of enjoying more happiness than has been my lot here; where die 
 glories of die prospect, and the luxury of the wild retirement, have been 
 
 of myself. I have been too happy, and often tremble in die anticipa- 
 tion diat die cloud must come at last. Warbnrton says diat dbere was 
 not a bosh in his garden on which he had not hung a speculation. 
 There is not a recess in die valleys of die Penriands, nor an rmmrncr 
 on their summits, that is not familiar to my solitude. One summer I 
 read every word of Tacina in die sheltered crevice of a rock (called 
 My Seat'), about too feet above die level of die sea, with die most 
 magnificent of scenes stretched out before me."* 
 
 The qualifications for admission into the Hospital and 
 
 School are as follows : 
 
 HoifntaJ. (i) Persons of die name of GiUespie, from all parts 
 of Scotland, (z) Persons belonging to Edinburgh and its suburbs. 
 : Fafli* 
 
 .I^Coc^*-*^ 
 
122 
 
 Historical Notes as to the 
 
 (3) Failing applications from persons belonging to Edinburgh and 
 its suburbs, men and women belonging to Leith, Newhaven, and 
 other parts of the county of Mid-Lothian 5 and, lastly, failing of appli- 
 cations from all these places, persons coming from any part of Scotland j 
 but none are admitted who have not attained the age of 55, or who have 
 an allowance from any other charity; and out-pensioners also are not ad- 
 mitted. Vacancies are filled up on the second Monday of January and 
 July, after such vacancies happen. 
 
 Free School. For the education of boys, who must produce evidence 
 satisfactory to the Governors of their indigent circumstances. No boysare 
 admitted under the age of six nor above twelve years. The elections for 
 admission are twice a year, viz., on the second Monday of April and 
 October. 
 
 The Hospital is under the management of 21 Governors, 
 viz., the Master and Assistants, and Treasurer, the Ministers 
 of the Tolbooth Church and St Stephen's Church, and five 
 of the Town Council, elected by the Magistrates and Council. 
 
 GRINDLAY'S TRUST. 
 
 We cannot give the particulars of " Grindlay's Trust " 
 better than has been already done by a Master of the Company, 
 Mr James Richardson, who, speaking in 1858, said 
 
 " For forty-seven years there has been quietly and successfully 
 managed by the Master, Assistants, and Treasurer of the Company, 
 for behoof of George Watson's and the Merchant Maiden Hospital, a 
 trust, whose proceeds is usually accounted for by an entry of two lines 
 in our Annual Accounts thus: 'Revenue from Legacy by the late 
 George Grindlay.' The circumstance is as follows: In 1801, Mr 
 George Grindlay, leather-merchant, died, leaving issue an only son. 
 
 To 
 
Merchant Company of Edinburgh. 
 
 To trustees he conveyed all his property, to be held by them for his son, 
 until he attained the age of twenty-one. In the event of his son's 
 death before that time, the property was then to be vested in the 
 Master, Assistants, and Treasurer of the Merchant Company, in trust 
 for George Watson's and the Merchant Maiden Hospital the annual 
 revenue to be divided share and share alike betwixt them. In 1810 
 the youth died, and the property, consisting of lands, houses, and 
 shops, was handed over to your officials, and the revenue applied 
 according to the will of the testator. The lands are called Orchard- 
 field j they lie between the West Church and glebe grounds and Port- 
 Hopetoun, including both sides of the Lothian Road. They were, 
 however, jointly held by the trustees and the late Mr John Grindlay, 
 leather-merchant, West Bow, a member of this Company. No diffi- 
 culty occurred in working this joint concern, because Mr Jollie's 
 respected father, and subsequently himself, acted as Agent for both 
 parties. My friend and neighbour Mr John Grindlay (who was cousin 
 to George) died last year, leaving, as his residuary legatees, those noble 
 institutions, the Royal Infirmary, the Orphan Hospital, and Gillespie's 
 Hospital. Your office-bearers considered that it would be most bene- 
 ficial for the interest of the Merchant Maiden and George Watson's 
 Hospitals, that George Grindlay's Trust should become the purchasers of 
 Mr John Grindlay's share of the lands of Orchardfield, and thus con- 
 centrate it all in one trust. Suffice it to say, that this has been most 
 pleasantly accomplished with the sanction of the three residuary lega- 
 tees, and the two Hospitals interested. The annual revenue of the pro- 
 perty since 1811 has increased nearly four-fold, and as all the ground 
 is now laid out for feuing, in fifty years hence, when our city becomes 
 more extended, I hope the present rental will increase by fuur-fold 
 again."* 
 
 DANIEL 
 
 * Report of Proceedings at Stated Annual Meeting of the Company on 6th Sept. 
 1858, ordered to be printed and circulated. This Report, and especially the speech of 
 the retiring Master, contains so much useful information as to the Company, that we 
 have quoted from it whenever we had the opportunity. 
 
I2 4 
 
 Historical Notes as to the 
 
 Daniel 
 
 Stewart's 
 
 Hospital 
 
 DANIEL STEWART'S HOSPITAL. 
 
 This Hospital was founded by Mr Daniel Stewart, an 
 officer in the Court of Exchequer, who died 3ist May 1814. 
 The Governors (the Master, Treasurer, and Assistants) have 
 been incorporated by Aft of Parliament, and the following is 
 the qualification of boys for admission : 
 
 First, poor boys of the name of Stewart j next, of the name of 
 of MacFarlane j and, after them, poor boys in general, of any other 
 name, all residing in Edinburgh or suburbs, including Leith ; such 
 boys must be betwixt seven and ten years of age, as at i5th September, 
 and may be either orphans or not. The elecYion takes place in June. 
 
 The Hospital, at the Dean, is a very ornamental one, and 
 was built from a design by Mr David R-hind. The grounds 
 around it are not so well suited for the amusement of the boys 
 as the park in front of Watson's Hospital j but, as the Con- 
 vener of the Education Committee has brought the matter 
 before the Governors, we may expeft soon to see the boys 
 there, as well as those in Watson's, indulging in what Byron 
 calls " cricket's manly toil." This is another illustration, 
 among many, of what the Vicar of Berwick recently remarked 
 on, as a distinguishing feature in the management of the Edin- 
 burgh Hospitals, viz., the kindly attention paid to boy-nature 
 by those gentlemen who preside over these institutions. 
 
 The Governors recently purchased the fine estates of Bal- 
 bardie and Bathgate, the latter including the superiority of the 
 
 town 
 
Merchant Company of Edinburgh. 
 
 125 
 
 town, for 48,000. There is an old mansion-house on the 
 Balbardie Estate. The estates promise to be very remunera- 
 tive. The town itself lays claim to high antiquity. Malcolm 
 IV. granted to the Monks of Holyrood the church of Bathket, 
 with the land belonging to it. At one period the town and 
 its adjoining lands formed part of the ample possessions of 
 King Robert Bruce, which in 1306 he gave in dowry with his 
 daughter, to Walter the Great Steward, and this marriage in- 
 troduced the Stuart family to the throne of Scotland. 
 
 Dr Guthrie, in the following eloquent description of Edin- 
 burgh, alludes evidently to several of the above Hospitals : 
 
 " On approaching Edinburgh from the west, after the general 
 features which distance presents, dome, and spire, and antique piles of 
 building, the Castle standing in the foreground, while Arthur's Seat 
 raises its lion-like back between the city and the sea the first objecl: 
 which attracts the eyes of a stranger, is a structure of exquisite and sur- 
 passing beauty. It might be a palace for our Queen it is an hospital. 
 Near by, embowered in wood, stands an edifice of less pretensions, but 
 also great extent it is another hospital. Within a bow-shot of that, 
 again, some fine open towers rise from the wood over a fair structure, 
 with its Grecian pillars and graceful portico it is another hospital. 
 Now in the city, and wheeling round nigh to the base of the Castle- 
 rock, he drives on by Lauriston. Not faraway, on the outskirts of the 
 town, pleasantly planted in a beautiful park bordered with trees, stands 
 an old fashioned building it is another hospital. In his way along 
 Lauriston, within a stone cast of him, his eye catches the back of a 
 large and spacious edifice, which looks beautifully out on the Meadows, 
 the low Braid Hills and the distant Pentlands it is another hospital. 
 A few turns of the wheel, and before him, within a fine park, or 
 
 rather 
 
126 
 
 Historical Notes as to the 
 
 rather ornamental garden, stands the finest structure of our city, a mas- 
 terpiece of Inigo Jones,* with a princely revenue of 15,000 a year 
 it is another hospital. The carriage now jostles over a stone; the 
 stranger turns his head and sees but some hundred yards away a large 
 Dutch-like structure, stretching out its long lines of windows, with the 
 gilded ship, the sign of commerce, for weather vane, on its summit 
 that is another hospital. Our friend concludes, and not without some 
 reason, that, instead of the ' Modern Athens,' Edinburgh might be 
 called the City of Hospitals." 
 
 We now give a Note of the capital and revenue of the 
 Company, Widows' Scheme, and Hospitals, which it will be 
 seen exceeds in amount half a million of money. 
 
 Capital. 
 Merchant Company.- 25,280 9 
 
 Widows' Scheme 55>7^4 ii 
 
 M&iden Hospital 127,605 12 
 
 Watson's Hospital __ 177,306 9 
 Stewart's Hospital __ 122,504 19 
 
 13 
 
 3,33 6 17 
 5>5 2 9 6 
 
 Gillespie's Hospital __ 49,032 19 10 
 
 6,495 
 3,4' 
 
 6 ii 
 
 17 3 
 
 ,7ii 15 3 
 
 Total, 557,495 * ro 21,864 16 ii 
 
 Thus have the charities of the Company, from an humble 
 beginning, attained a most distinguished eminence, and sown 
 broadcast their many benefits ; whilst the funds have been 
 accumulated by the zeal and wisdom of the successive Masters, 
 Assistants, and Governors, without any of them having 
 
 accepted 
 
 * Inigo Jones (born 1572, died 1653) is the refuted architect; but there exists no 
 documentary evidence to prove this. See Steven's History of Heriofs Hospital. New 
 Edition by Dr Bedford, pp. 46, 190. 
 
Merchant Company of Edinburgh. 
 
 127 
 
 accepted one shilling, either in its more detailed or general 
 management ; all of which have been conduced by them- 
 selves, from an enlightened public and charitable spirit. Nor 
 have they scrupled to devote a great amount of valuable time 
 to these duties, notwithstanding that most of them have been 
 conducing, at the same time, the largest businesses in the 
 City. 
 
 We conclude these Notes in the words of one of the most 
 energetic of our former Masters, who when referring to the great 
 amount of property under the charge of the Company, elo- 
 quently and truthfully exclaimed " truly a magnificent sum, held 
 for most noble objects, to shelter the orphan relieve the widow 
 comfort the distressed educate the young and pour the balm of 
 consolation into the cup of the aged and infirm. Let us, then, 
 (he said,) invite every mercantile man to join in upholding this 
 most antient and honourable Corporation, and aid in the work 
 which kind, benevolent, and Christian men have committed to 
 our care" 
 
128 
 
 Merchant Campar.y of Edinburgh. 
 
 NAMES OF ADDITIONAL MEMBERS. 
 
 Since the Appendix to these Notes was printed off, the 
 following gentlemen, being the last six of the twenty-eight 
 who applied for admission during 1862, have been enrolled 
 as Members : 
 
 Anderson, Walter __ Sept. 1862 
 
 Harper, John Sept. 1862 
 
 Purdie, John Sept. 1862 
 
 Livingston, James Sept. 1862 
 
 Robertson, Robert Sept. 1862 
 
 Robertson, George Sept. 1862 
 
 APPENDIX. 
 
APPENDIX. 
 
 No. I. Alphabetical List of the Members of 
 the Merchant Company of Edinburgh. 
 
 Note. Owing to the manner in which the first Records of the Company were kept, 
 a few of the early Names are perhaps omitted in this List; but if so, they will be 
 found o'i reference to the copies of the two first pages of the Record, at pages 13 
 and 14. 
 
 Abernethy, Thomas __ 
 
 Adam, James 
 
 Adam, Robert 
 
 Adie, Alexander James 
 Aikman, Archibald __ 
 
 Aikman, George 
 
 Ainslie, James 
 
 Ainslie, James 
 
 Ainslie, William 
 
 Ainslie, William 
 
 Airth, Alexander 
 
 Aitchison, George 
 
 Aitchison, James 
 
 Aitchison, John 
 
 Aitchison, John 
 
 Aitchison, William __ 
 Aitchison, William, jun 
 Aitken, Alexander _. 
 
 Aitken, Andrew 
 
 Aitken, John 
 
 Aitken, John 
 
 Aitken, John, jun.__ 
 
 Mar. 1819 
 June 1713 
 Mar. 1826 
 Sept. 1816 
 Mar. 1836 
 June 1798 
 Feb. 1682 
 May 1814 
 Mar. 1783 
 May 1814 
 June 1835 
 Mar. 1 840 
 Nov. 1818 
 Dec. 1782 
 May 1844 
 May 1783 
 .Mar. 1814 
 Mar. 1836 
 Jan. 1687 
 Oct. 1691 
 July 1801 
 Mar. 1703 
 
 Aitken, Samuel 
 
 Alexander, Frederick 
 
 Alexander, John 
 
 Alexander, John 
 
 Alexander, Richard 
 
 Alexander, William __ 
 Alison, Alexander __ 
 
 Alison, Andrew 
 
 Allan, Alexander 
 
 Allan, David 
 
 Allan, James 
 
 Allan, James 
 
 Allan, John 
 
 Allan, Nichol 
 
 Allan, Robert 
 
 Allan, Thomas 
 
 Allan, Thomas 
 
 Allan, William 
 
 Allan, William 
 
 Allen, James 
 
 Allison, George 
 
 Ancrum, Michael 
 
 Dec. 1817 
 Oct. 1850 
 Dec. 1819 
 Oct. 1850 
 July 1816 
 Jan. 1762 
 Dec. 1790 
 June 1749 
 Jan. 1776 
 July 1804 
 Oct. 1724 
 July 1803 
 Aug. 1754 
 Mar. 1807 
 Dec. 1787 
 Dec. 1790 
 Oct. 1820 
 Dec. 1782 
 Oct. 1799 
 Jan. 1688 
 Mar. 1691 
 Jan. 1762 
 
 List of 
 Members 
 
ii 
 
 Appendix* 
 
 List of 
 Members 
 
 Anderson, Alexander July 1773 
 Anderson, Alexander Nov. 1797 
 Anderson, Archibald Jan. 1783 
 Anderson, Archibald Nov. 1797 
 Anderson, Charles __ Jan 1801 
 Anderson, David Sept. 1815 
 Anderson, David Nov. 1818 
 Anderson, George... _ Jan. 1790 
 Anderson, James June 1725 
 Anderson, ames Jan. 1761 
 Anderson, ames Oct. 1811 
 Anderson, James Feb. 1851 
 Anderson, John Aug. 1707 
 Anderson, John Nov. 1790 
 Anderson, John Mar. 1805 
 Anderson, John June 1812 
 Anderson, John, jun. Mar. 1826 
 Anderson, John Oct. 1837 
 
 Arrol, Thomas J u ty '797 
 
 Auchenleck, George May 1709 
 Auld, John -Aug. 1682 
 
 Auld, John Jan. 1688 
 
 Baiker, Thomas July 1797 
 Bailey, John _ Aug. 1694 
 
 Baillie, George Sept, 1712 
 
 Baillie, James Aug. 1745 
 
 Baillie, James, jun. __ Aug. 1745 
 Baillie, John April 1858 
 
 Baillie, William Feb. 1736 
 Bain, James Sept. 1729 
 
 Baird, Alexander Dec. 1695 
 Baird, Henry Nov. 1690 
 
 Baird, James Sept. 1732 
 
 Baird, James _ Dec. 1806 
 
 Baird, John Dec. 1821 
 
 Anderson, John Oct. 1855 
 Anderson, Peter July 1797 
 Anderson, Robert Sept. 1747 
 Anderson, Robert Oct. 1795 
 Anderson, Robert July 1797 
 Anderson, Robert Oct. 1812 
 Anderson, Robert Nov. 1831 
 Anderson Samuel Oct. 1788 
 
 Balfour, James Dec. 1691 
 
 Bal four, John Sept. 1731 
 
 Balfour, John, jun. __ Nov. 1798 
 Ballantine, James Mar. 1807 
 Ballantine, ames Mar. 1859 
 Ballantyne, James Feb. 1703 
 Ballantyne, James __ Oct. 1811 
 Balmain, John April 1813 
 
 Anderson, William __ Nov. 1690 
 Anderson, William __ Nov. 1790 
 Andrew, John Dec. 1786 
 
 Bancks Charles James Nov. 1825 
 Bannatine, Richard __ Mar. 1796 
 Baptie, Patrick J an - 1710 
 
 Angus, Archibald Sept. 1734 
 Angus, John Oct. 1724 
 
 Barclay, George Aug. 1861 
 Barclay, Robert Feb. 1736 
 Barclay, William Jan. 1765 
 Barr, Allan Sept. 1796 
 
 
 Angus Robert Sept. 1731 
 
 Arbuthnot, Robert __ Oct. 1746 
 Arbuthnot, Robert April 1779 
 Arbuthnot, William __ May 1814 
 Archibald John Nov. 1782 
 
 Baxter, Charles Feb. 1793 
 
 Bayne, Robert J u ty 1803 
 
 Beatson, Andrew Jan. 1766 
 Beattie, Adam J une 1850 
 
 Armstrong, Andrew.. Jan. 1790 
 Armstrong, Fergus Oct. 1829 
 Armstrong, Francis __ Oct. 1767 
 
 Beattie, George _ Oct. 1 842 
 
 Beattie, William Dec. 1693 
 Beattie, William July 1840 
 Beg, Allan Jan 1731 
 
 Armstrong, Robert Nov. 1809 
 Armour, John Feb. 1782 
 
 Beg, George _ _ J an - 1684 
 
 Begbie, William Mar. 1787 
 
 
Appendix. 
 
 iii 
 
 Beeg, John Mar. 1691 
 
 Blyth, Benjamin Hall Aug. 1857 
 Blyth, Edward Law- 
 rence Ireland Aug. 1857 
 Blyth, Howard Aug. 1857 
 
 List of 
 Members 
 
 Reich, George _ Aug. 1708 
 
 Bell, Alexander Sept. 1772 
 Bell, Andrew Aug. 1725 
 
 Bell, Andrew Nov. 1810 
 
 Blyth, James Sept. 1815 
 
 Bell, James June 1725 
 Bell, James J u ty '803 
 
 Blyth, Robert Brittain Mar. 1819 
 Boak, Duncan May 1728 
 Bogle, Andrew.. Sept. 1817 
 
 Bell, Peter Mar. 1840 
 
 Bell, William Aug. 1711 
 
 Bogle, Robert Sept. 1710 
 
 Bernard, James Alex. April 1857 
 Bertram, Gilbert Jan. 1759 
 Bertram, Gilbert July 1797 
 Bertram, John Archd. July 1797 
 Berwick, William Sept. 1825 
 Bett, David Mar 1814 
 
 Boig, Adam Sept. 1691 
 
 Bonar, Alexander Oct. 1788 
 Bonar, Andrew Oct. 1746 
 
 Bonar, Andrew Oct. 1788 
 
 Bonar, John Nov. 1818 
 
 
 Beveridge, Alex. June 1862 
 Beveridge, James June 1742 
 Beverty, Alexander __ Oct. 1782 
 Biggar, John Jan. 1766 
 
 Bonar, Thomas Feb. 1793 
 
 Bonar, William Nov. 1818 
 Bonthrone, Alexander Mar. 1805 
 Bortherston, George-- April 1700 
 Borthwick, Alexander Feb. 1777 
 Borthwick, Archibald July 1791 
 Borthwick, James Nov. 1818 
 Borthwick, Patrick Nov. 1818 
 Bow, Robert _ Dec. 1782 
 
 Biggar, Robert, jun.__ Dec. 1787 
 Bisgar, Robert May 1789 
 
 Biggar, Walter J an - 1766 
 
 Binning, John Tan. 1688 
 
 Binning, John Aug. 1692 
 
 Bishop, James - Oct. 1799 
 
 Bowe David Oct. 1833 
 
 Black, Adam May 1814 
 
 Bowe Tames Aug i8c8 
 
 Black, Andrew J un e 1706 
 
 Bowe, Thomas April 1834 
 
 Black, John Feb. 1752 
 
 Bowe, William _ Dec. 1833 
 
 Blackadder, James __ Nov. 1841 
 Black, William April 1848 
 Blackwood, John July 1804 
 Blackwood, Thomas__ July 1804 
 Blackwood, William__ Nov. 1818 
 Blackwood, William Aug. 1852 
 
 Bowie, Archibald Aug. 1745 
 Bowie, John Dec. 1814 
 
 Bowie, Patrick _ Aug. 1745 
 
 Boyd, George J an - 175^ 
 
 Boyd, John May 1860 
 
 Boyd, Thos. Jamieson Jan. 1860 
 Braidwood, William__ Nov. 1790 
 Braid wood, William Aug. 1807 
 Brand, John ___ Sept. 1731 
 
 Blaikie, Thomas Sept. 1817 
 Blair, Charles __ __ April 1848 
 
 Blair, Francis __ Feb. 1777 
 
 Break, James Dec. 1802 
 
 Blair, John Mar 1763 
 
 Bremner, William Feb. 1851 
 Bridges, David __ Aug. 1775 
 
 Blair, Robert Jan. 1846 
 
 Blane, James la Jan. 1700 
 Blance, Louis Sept. 1725 
 
 Bridges, David, jun.__ May 1814 
 Bridges, John ______ Sept. 1732 
 
 Blanshard, George ._ July 1858 
 
 Brodie, James __ Nov. 1790 
 
 
IV 
 
 Appendix. 
 
 List of 
 Members 
 
 Brodie, James July 1844 
 
 Brunton, William Dec. 1817 
 Bryce, David Dec. 1787 
 
 Brodie, Francis Mar. 1694 
 
 Brook, Adam J<*n* '7^4 
 
 Bryce, James Jan 1832 
 
 Brooks, Adam, jun.__ May 1810 
 Brooks, John Aug. 1806 
 
 Brymer, John Aug. 1701 
 
 Brymers, Alexander __ Oct. 1739 
 Brymers, James Oct. 1739 
 Bryson, Alexander __ June 1713 
 Bryson, George Aug. 1692 
 
 Brotherstones, James Oct. 1716 
 Brown, Adam Feb. 1694 
 
 Brown, Alexander __ May 1688 
 Brown, Alexander __ June 1742 
 Brown, Alexander,jun. Jan. 1762 
 Brown, Alexander __ Feb. 1784 
 Brown, Alexander __ Nov. 1797 
 Brown, Andrew July 1684 
 Brown, David Sept. 1727 
 
 Bryson, John _ Aug. 1725 
 
 Bryson, Robert Mar. 1715 
 
 Bryson, Robert Nov. 1857 
 
 Buchan, Francis Oct. 1788 
 Buchan, William Nov. 1790 
 Buchanan, Patrick __ Sept. 1712 
 Bullo, William __ __ Aug. 1698 
 
 Brown, George. Mar. 1685 
 
 Brown, George Dec. 1696 
 
 Bunkell, Edward Sept. 1725 
 Burges, James Oct. 1814 
 
 Brown, George Mar. 1826 
 
 Brown, James Aug. 1686 
 
 Burn, James Feb. 17-82 
 
 Brown, James Oct. 1782 
 
 Burns, George _ Oct. 1 842 
 
 Brown, James _- J u ty ^79* 
 
 Burns, James April 1701 
 
 Brown, John May 1690 
 
 Burns, Robert Sept. 1816 
 
 Brown, John May 1692 
 
 Burr, Alexander Feb. 1821 
 Burt, Robert, Nov. 1806 
 
 Brown, John Dec. 1755 
 
 Brown, Matthew Aug. 1745 
 Brown, Peter May 1810 
 
 Burton, James J une 1711 
 
 Butler, Charles Aug. 1746 
 
 Brown, Robert June 1802 
 
 Butler, John Oct. 1782 
 
 Brown, Robert Mar. 1 826 
 
 Cadell, Robert May 1816 
 
 Brown, Thomas Nov. 1790 
 
 Brown, William June 1749 
 Brown, Walter Nov. 1797 
 
 Cadell, William July 1791 
 Cadill, Philip __ _ May 1816 
 
 Brown, William Jan. 1698 
 Brown, William Henry July 1813 
 Browning, Matthew.. Dec. 1820 
 Bruce, Alexander Nov. 1797 
 Bruce, George Nov. 1767 
 
 Caithness, Edward __ Aug. 1740 
 Calder, Peter Nov. 1797 
 
 Calder, Thomas June 1829 
 Calder, William July 1797 
 Caldwell, Robert June 1839 
 Caldwell, Thomas June 1701 
 Callam, George Dec. 1811 
 Callender, David, Nov. 1836 
 
 Bruce, James Oct. 1804 
 
 Bruce, John Sept. 1712 
 
 Bruce, Robert Dec 1852 
 
 Bruce, William Jan. 1776 
 
 Callender, James Feb. 1753 
 Callender, William __ Aug. 1754 
 Cameron, John Nov. 1801 
 Cameron, Peter Aug. 1858 
 Campbell, Alexander Oct. 1830 
 
 
 Brugh, Thomas Mar. 1711 
 Brunton, George July 1791 
 Brunton, John Dec. i 770 
 
 
Appendix. 
 
 V 
 
 Campbell, Archibald __ Sept. 1735 
 Campbell, Archibald __ Aug. 1746 
 Campbell, Archibald.. Sept. 1796 
 Campbell, Colin Jan. 1699 
 Campbell, Gilbert __ Mar. 1695 
 Campbell, James Sept. 1796 
 Campbell, John Jan. 17-5 
 Campbell, John Oct. 1707 
 Campbell, Thomas _. Nov. 1774 
 Campbell, Thomas B. Oct. 1845 
 Carfrae, Tames April 1775 
 
 Christie, William Nov. 1844 
 Clapperton, Alexander May 1810 
 Clapperton, John Oct. 1773 
 Clapperton, John July 1851 
 Clapperton, Thomas. _ June 1812 
 Clapperton, William __ Feb. 1752 
 Clark, David _ Jan. 1789 
 
 List of 
 Members 
 
 Clark, Robert Sept 1736 
 
 Clark, Robert __ __ Nov. 1851 
 
 Cleghorn, Adam J u e I 74 2 
 Cleghorn, Thomas __ June 1748 
 Cleghorn, Thomas Sept. 1796 
 Cleghorn, William __ Oct. 1691 
 Cleland, Alexander Jan. 1696 
 Cleland, James Feb. 1697 
 
 Carfrae, John __ Mar. 1819 
 
 Carfrae, William Jan. 1688 
 Carfrae, William July 1773 
 Carmichael, Andrew Aug. 1692 
 Carmichael, Thomas.. Sept. 1772 
 Carmichael, William April 1683 
 Carmichael, William __ Jan. 1712 
 Carnegie, Johnston __ Dec. 1836 
 Carnegie, William __ Aug. 1705 
 Cars, William __ Aug. 1720 
 
 Cleland, John _ Aug. 1692 
 
 Cleland, John T u ly I 74^ 
 
 Cleland, William Aug. 1807 
 Clelland John Sept. 1690 
 
 Clelland, Robert Aug. 1731 
 Clerk, George Aug. 1 704 
 
 Carse, John May. 1698 
 
 Clerk, John Aug. 1754 
 
 Cassels, Andrew Dec. 1790 
 Cattanach, William Oct. 1832 
 
 Cleugh, Robert Feb. 1736 
 Cleyne, John Dec. iScy 
 
 Chadwick, James Dec. 1814 
 Chalmers, Alexander Dec. 1725 
 Chalmers, George __ Aug. 1746 
 Chalmers, John Nov. 1759 
 Chalmers, Patrick __ Sept. 1690 
 Chalmers, William __ Jan. 1703 
 Chambers, Robert __ Dec. 1848 
 Charles, James Nov. 1790 
 
 Cochrane, James Sept, 1794 
 Cochrane, William __ Aug. 1745 
 Cochrane, William __ Mar. 1814 
 Cockburn, Archibald Nov. 1683 
 Cockburn, Archibald Feb. 1694 
 Cockburn, George Jan. 1699 
 Cockburn, Robert __ May 1814 
 Collier, James __ Dec. 1786 
 
 Charles, John Nov. 1818 
 
 Collin, Lucas Oct. 1814 
 
 Charteris, Henry Oct. 1704 
 Chessley, William __ Sept. 1686 
 Cheyne, Charles J un e 1742 
 Cheyne,NinionRichard June 1798 
 Child, William.. Oct. 1806 
 
 Colquhoun, Adam __ June 1812 
 Colquhoun, John Feb. 1682 
 Colvill, Thomas Sept. 1736 
 Congalton, Alexander Dec. 1706 
 Connel, Tames Oct 1799 
 
 Chisholm, John Knox Feb. 1853 
 Chisholm, Robert __ Nov. 1850 
 Christie, John Mar. 1826 
 
 Constable, Archibald July 1804 
 Cooper, William Oct. 1799 
 
 Christie, John Dec. 1848 
 
 Corsbie, John May 1688 
 
 Christie, William __ July 1813 
 
 Coulter, William Feb. 1782 
 
vi 
 
 Appendix. 
 
 List of 
 Members 
 
 Cotton, William Dec. 1852 
 Coventry, John July 1699 
 Cowan, Alexander __ Jan. 1813 
 Cowan, Charles May 1783 
 Cowan, Charles, jun. Nov. 1790 
 Cowan, Charles Oct. 1847 
 Cowan, Duncan J u 'y I 79 I 
 Cowan, James Nov. 1845 
 
 Cuming, Patrick Sept. 1732 
 Cuming, William Sept. 1706 
 Cuming, William, jun. July 1739 
 Cundell, William Nov. 1790 
 Cuningham, John __ July 1710 
 Cuningham, Robert .. Jan. 1685 
 Cuninghame, Robert May 1710 
 Cunningham, David.- Mar. 1826 
 Cunningham, Thomas June 1711 
 Cunningham, Thomas Mar. 1826 
 Cunninghame, James Sept. 1794 
 Currie, David May 1844 
 
 Cowan, John April 1858 
 
 Cowan, William April 1775 
 Cowan, William Dec. 1848 
 Grabble, John Jan. 1857 
 
 Crabbie, John M. J un c 1862 
 
 Currie, James Oct. 1739 
 
 Grabble, Muller April 1825 
 Craig, Alexander Aug. 1691 
 Craig, Alexander July 1804 
 Craig, Archibald Aug. 1847 
 Craig, Archibald Aug. 1857 
 Craig, Hugh - Sept. 1688 
 
 Dallas Alexander J urj e 1749 
 Dallas, James Sept. 1817 
 
 Dallas, John June 1824 
 
 Dallas, Thomas Jan. 1798 
 Dallas, Walter J u ty *7'9 
 
 Craig, James Feb. 1848 
 
 Dalrymple, James __ Aug. 1720 
 Dalrymple, John Dec. 1755 
 Dalrymple, William __ Dec. 1776 
 Davidson, George Nov. 1691 
 Davidson, John May 1691 
 Davidson, Thomas __ April 1695 
 Davidson, William __ Sept. 1687 
 Davidson, William __ Mar. 1831 
 Dawson, William Nov. 1769 
 Dawson, William July 1791 
 Deuchar, Alexander.. Mar. 1819 
 Deuchar, Alex., jun. Nov. 1809 
 Dewar, George _ April 177 5 
 
 Craig, John Dec. 1817 
 
 Craig, John Nov. 1825 
 
 Craig, John Dec. 1825 
 
 Craig, William Nov. 1857 
 
 Crawford, Maurice __ Dec. 1802 
 Crawford, Patrick __ Mar. 1685 
 Crawford, Robert Feb. 1697 
 Crease, William July 1804 
 Cree, James Oct. 1857 
 
 Creech, William Oct. 1788 
 Crerar, John Sept. 1825 
 
 Crichton, Alexander Mar. 1787 
 Crichton, George Nov. 1818 
 Crichton, Patrick Nov. 1795 
 Crokat, John Dec. 1790 
 
 Dewar, James Nov. 1769 
 
 Dick, John Dec. 1783 
 
 Dick, John May 1844 
 
 Crokat, Patrick Nov. 1724 
 Crombie, Francis Oct. 1795 
 Crombie, William __ Nov. 1796 
 Crooks, William May 1709 
 Crosbie, James _ Oct. 1684 
 
 Dick, Thomas __ Sept. 1824 
 
 Dick, William _ Sept. 1764 
 
 Dickson, David Oct, 1847 
 Dickson, James Nov. 1690 
 Dickson, James May 1814 
 Dickson, James _ Oct. 1844 
 
 Crouch, William Dec. 1838 
 Crystie, James J u ^y 1 797 
 
 Dickson, John May. 1706 
 
 Cudbert, Robert Aug. 1693 
 
 Dickson, William Oct. 1847 
 
Appendix. 
 
 vii 
 
 Dickson, William .. Aug. 1858 
 Din, John _ Oct. 1721 
 
 Duncan, Thomas J u ty 1801 
 Duncan, William Sept. 1825 
 Dundas, Thomas, jun. Feb. 1736 
 Dundas, William Mar. 1704 
 Duning Matthew July 1734 
 Dunlop, Archibald __ Dec. 1817 
 Dunlop, George June 1798 
 Dunlop, William July 1810 
 Dunnet, Andrew Oct. 1697 
 Dunsmure, John Aug. 1740 
 Dunsmure, George __ Jan. 1751 
 
 Easton, John April 1811 
 
 List of 
 Members 
 
 DoSg, Frederick Oct. 1812 
 Don, John Jan. 1731 
 
 Donaldson, Colin Nov. 1823 
 Donaldson, James __ May 1691 
 Donaldson, James ]u\y 1724 
 Donaldson, James July 1734 
 Dott, Aitken May 1860 
 
 Douglas, Archibald __ July 1748 
 Douglas, James April 1832 
 Douglas, Robert April 1691 
 Douglas, William Feb. 1736 
 Douglas, William Nov. 1796 
 
 Edgar, Andrew Feb, 1697 
 
 Dow, James Jan. 1680 
 
 Edgar, James __ J an - I77 
 
 Dowall, Arthur Mar. 1695 
 Dowell, Alexander __ June 1861 
 Dowell, James Jan, 1850 
 
 Edington, John Nov. 1823 
 Edington, Thomas __ Nov, 1790 
 Edmondstone, James Jan. 1689 
 Edmonston, Thomas Sept. 1815 
 Elder, John .. _ Feb. 1682 
 
 Dowie, William Feb. 1716 
 Drummond, James __ Mar. 1822 
 Dryburgh, John Oct. 1849 
 
 Elder, Thomas Tan 1769 
 
 Dryburgh, Thomas __ Aug. 1858 
 Drysdale, William __ Jan. 1850 
 Drysdell, Robert J an 1684 
 
 Elliot, Charles Dec. 1787 
 
 Elliot, William Feb. 1697 
 
 Ellis, Martin Nov 1790 
 
 Dudgeon, John Dec. 1790 
 Dudgeon, William __ Nov. 1818 
 Dun, William Sept. 1747 
 
 Elsplin, John Aug 1740 
 
 English, John __ Aug. 1730 
 
 Erskine, Charles Aug. 1685 
 Esdale, John Tan 170? 
 
 Dunbar, George J an - 1721 
 
 Dunbar, Hutchison June 1805 
 Dunbar, Thomas J an - J ^93 
 Dunbar, William Dec. 1691 
 Duncan, Andrew Sept. 1843 
 Duncan, Archibald .. Dec. 1683 
 Duncan, George Mar. 1814 
 Duncan, Henry April 1783 
 Duncan, Tames May 1814 
 
 Ewan, William _ Dec. 1808 
 
 Ewart, Adam Sept. 1735 
 
 Ewing,' William Jan. 1711 
 Fairbairn, John Feb. 1817 
 
 Fairbairn, Thomas __ Sept. 1821 
 Fairholm, Adam Sept. 1747 
 
 Duncan, Jas. Sandilands April 1848 
 Duncan, John June 1691 
 
 Falkner, Robert Sept. 1817 
 Falshaw, James Nov. 1861 
 Farquhar, James Aug 1740 
 
 Duncan, John Nov. 1691 
 
 Duncan, John Dec. 1698 
 
 Farquharson, Chas. H. Nov. 1846 
 Farquharson, Henry __ Dec. 1786 
 Farnoles, William Aug. 1710 
 
 Duncan, John Oct. 1724 
 
 Duncan, John _ Nov. 1822 
 
 Duncan, Mark Sept. 1794 
 
 
 
viii 
 
 Appendix. 
 
 List of 
 Members 
 
 Fenwick, George Oct. 1690 
 Fergus, Robert Jan. 1688 
 
 Forrest, Walter 
 
 Mar. 1763 
 Jan. 1790 
 April 1820 
 July 1695 
 Oct. 1779 
 Nov. 1782 
 Dec. 1790 
 Aug. 1713 
 Nov. 1823 
 Sept. 1850 
 April 1858 
 Aug. 1731 
 Sept. 1794 
 Sept. 1794 
 Dec. 1827 
 Mar. 1844 
 Aug. 1709 
 Oct. 1779 
 Mar. 1787 
 Sept. 1817 
 Mar. 1813 
 July 1682 
 Feb. 1685 
 June 1862 
 Aug. 1745 
 Jan. 1766 
 July 1773 
 Jan. 1766 
 Dec. 1790 
 Dec. 1790 
 
 Nov. 1823 
 Oct. 1808 
 Aug. 1705 
 Dec. 1777 
 Nov. 1759 
 Oct. 1806 
 May 1777 
 Jan. 1762 
 Aug. 1725 
 July 1734 
 Mar. 1704 
 Nov. 1769 
 
 Forrest, William 
 Forrest, William 
 Forrester, John 
 
 Ferguson Oct. 1767 
 
 Ferguson, Alexander May 1842 
 Ferguson, Archibald Dec. 1852 
 Ferguson, David July 1736 
 Ferguson, John Sept. 1708 
 
 Forrester, Peter 
 Forrester, Robert 
 Forrester, William __ 
 Fowler, James __ 
 
 Ferguson, William Aug. 1807 
 Fergusson, Alexander Jan. 1684 
 Ferrier, William Nov. 1691 
 Fettes, William _ Nov. 1776 
 
 Fowler, William 
 Foyer, John 
 
 Fraser, Alexander 
 Fraser, Charles 
 
 Fettes, William Nov. 1782 
 Field, William Sept. 1796 
 
 Fraser, Charles 
 
 Fife, Alexander Jan- 1825 
 Finlay, Alexander Jan. 1713 
 Finlayson, George June 1794 
 Fish, John _ June 1748 
 
 Fraser, George _ 
 
 Fraser, Peter Scott __ 
 Fraser, William 
 
 Fraser, William 
 Freebairn, David 
 Freer, Adam 
 
 Fisher, Charles Tan. 1709 
 
 Fleming, James Aug. 1682 
 Fleming, Robert Oct. 1684 
 Fleming, Robert J une 1749 
 Fleming, Robert Dec. 1820 
 Fleming, Thomas Dec. 1704 
 Flockhart, William __ April 1857 
 Foggo, Samuel Jan. 1762 
 Foggo, Thomas Jan. 1761 
 Forbes, Alex., senr. Dec. 1691 
 Forbes, George Nov. 1818 
 
 French, James 
 
 Frier John 
 
 Frogg, Alexander 
 Fullarton, William __ 
 Fulton, Andrew 
 Fyfe, James 
 
 Fyfe, James 
 
 Fyfe, James, jun. 
 Fyfe, John 
 
 Forbes, Patrick Jan. 1685 
 
 Fyffe, Barclay 
 
 Forbes, Peter May 1816 
 
 Fyffe, Richard .- 
 
 Forbes, Sir Wm., Bart. Jan. 1776 
 Forbes, William July 1801 
 Ford, James _ Aug. 1858 
 
 Gall, James 
 
 Galloway, Alexander 
 Galloway, James 
 Galloway, John 
 Galloway, William __ 
 Galloway, William _. 
 Gairdner, Ebenezer __ 
 Gairdner, James 
 Gairdner, James 
 Gairdner, Thomas 
 Gardner, Andrew 
 Gardner, John 
 
 Ford, John H. June 1862 
 
 Ford, William _._ Dec. 1808 
 
 Forrest, Daniel Feb. 1793 
 
 Forrest, Daniel, jun.__ Mar. 1819 
 Forrest, David Jan. 1687 
 
 Forrest, James May 1789 
 
 Forrest, John Feb. 1704 
 
 Forrest, John, jun. __ Oct. 1767 
 Forrest, John Oct. 1795 
 
 Forrest, John Richard Dec. 1848 
 
Appendix. 
 
 ix 
 
 
 Nov. 1816 
 Oct. 1850 
 Aug. 1682 
 Sept. 1825 
 Feb. 1697 
 Nov. 1790 
 Jan. 1688 
 Feb. 1682 
 Sept. 1720 
 Nov. 1839 
 Oct. 1776 
 May 1814 
 Mar. 1819 
 Dec. 1823 
 June 1798 
 June 1824 
 Aug. 1807 
 May 1814 
 Mar. 1695 
 Nov. 1819 
 April 1701 
 Nov. 1816 
 April 1833 
 Oct. 1777 
 Dec. 1786 
 Aug. 1858 
 May 1814 
 Nov. 1849 
 Jan. 1770 
 Oct. 1788 
 Sept. 1816 
 Oct. 1814 
 Dec. 1806 
 Dec. 1708 
 Nov. 1796 
 Nov. 1769 
 Dec. 1790 
 Mar. 1844 
 June 1812 
 Aug. 1806 
 Nov. 1790 
 Dec. 1692 
 Feb. 1684 
 
 Gleig, John 
 
 Aug. 1692 
 Aug. 1816 
 Mar. 1826 
 Oct. 1836 
 Mar. 1826 
 Dec. 1790 
 Dec. 1755 
 July 1797 
 May 1688 
 Jan. 1684 
 Oct. 1706 
 Jan. 1765 
 Aug 1818 
 Mar. 1790 
 Oct. 1771 
 Aug. 1858 
 Feb. 1782 
 Aug. 1725 
 Aug. 1711 
 Jan. 1708 
 Aug. 1692 
 April 1827 
 Sept. l82r 
 Sept. 1718 
 Sept. 1713 
 Nov. 1703 
 Feb. 1701 
 Oct. 1779 
 April 1700 
 June 1862 
 Oct. 1767 
 Feb. 1684 
 Mar. 1706 
 Sept. 1732 
 Jan. 1769 
 Aug. 1710 
 Aug. 1829 
 Jan. 1854 
 April 1813 
 Jan. 1683 
 Sept. 1785 
 Jan. 1860 
 June 1691 
 
 List of 
 Members 
 
 Garvie, Andrew 
 Gaudie, John 
 
 Glen, Archibald 
 Glen, Archibald, jun. 
 Glen, John 
 
 Gavin, Hector 
 
 Ged, William 
 
 Glen, William 
 
 Geddes, Archibald 
 Geills, Robert 
 
 Glenn, John 
 
 Gloag, John 
 
 Gellatly, Robert 
 
 Gloag, John 
 
 Gellatly, William 
 Gibb, Fulton 
 
 Glover, William 
 Goldie, J. 
 
 Gibb, John 
 
 Goldie, Robert 
 
 Gibb, William 
 
 Goodsman, Tames 
 
 Gibb, William 
 
 Gordon, Andrew __i_ 
 Gordon, John 
 
 Gibb, William 
 
 Gibson, Archibald __ 
 Gibson, David 
 
 Gordon, Lewis 
 
 Gordon, Robert 
 Gourlay, Robert 
 Gow, James ___ 
 
 Gibson, George 
 Gibson, George, jun. 
 Gibson, John 
 
 Gowdie John 
 
 Gibson, John 
 
 Graeme, Patrick 
 Graham, F. S. 
 
 Gibson, Patrick 
 Gibson, Robert _ 
 
 Graham, James 
 Graham, R. MurJoch 
 Graham, William 
 Grant, David 
 
 Gibson, Robert- 
 
 Gibson, William 
 Gibson, William 
 
 Gibson, W. Walker.. 
 Giffbrd, Tames 
 
 Grant, James 
 
 Grant, John 
 
 Gifford, John 
 
 Grant, .Lewis 
 
 Gilchrist, Archibald __ 
 Gilchrist, Archibald.. 
 Gilchrist, Edward 
 Gilchrist, James 
 Gilchrist, J. Borthwick 
 Gilchrist, Wal'er 
 
 Grant, Robert 
 
 Gray, Alexander 
 Gray, Andrew 
 
 Gray, Charles 
 
 Gray, David 
 
 Gray, George 
 
 Gilchrist, William __ 
 Gillespie, William __ 
 Gilmer, Samuel 
 Gilmore, William 
 Girdwood, William __ 
 Gladstone, Hugh 
 Gladstone, Thomas 
 
 Grny, Hugh 
 
 Gray, James 
 
 Gray, James 
 
 Gray, James, jun 
 Gray, James Hall 
 Gray, John _ _ 
 
 Gray, John 
 
 Glassell, Thomas 
 Gledstanes, William __ 
 
 Gray, Mordaunt 
 Gray, Robert __ 
 
 
X 
 
 Appendix. 
 
 List of 
 Members 
 
 Gray, Robert J une 1691 
 
 Hamilton, Allan May 1688 
 
 Gray, William Dec. 1810 
 
 Hamilton, Archibald Jan. 1685 
 Hamilton, Archibald Aug. 1745 
 Hamilton, David Feb. 1777 
 Hamilton, Gavin May 1723 
 Hamilton, George Aug. 1721 
 
 Greig, Andrew Sept. 1852 
 
 Greig, Benjamin Nov. 1825 
 Greig, John Nov. 1795 
 
 Greig, John J U ^Y 1804 
 
 Greig, John May 1816 
 
 Hamilton, Hugh Nov. 1746 
 Hamilton, James Nov. 1690 
 
 (jreig, Thomas Sept. 1815 
 
 Green, Charles _ Nov. 1814 
 
 Hamilton, James Aug. 1714 
 Hamilton, Robert July 1709 
 Hamilton, Robert Aug. 1720 
 Hamilton, Robert May 1816 
 Hamilton, Thomas Dec. 1690 
 
 Greenlees, Robert Oct. 1746 
 Grierson, Gilbert Nov. 1790 
 Grierson, Robert Jan. 1688 
 Grieve, John Sept. 1747 
 
 Grieve, John Nov. 1795 
 
 Hamilton, Thomas __ Jan. 1825 
 Hamilton, Walter __ Feb. 1753 
 Hamilton, William __ Sept. 1721 
 Hamilton, William __ Oct. 1842 
 Hammon, Anthony __ Nov. 1816 
 Harrison, George Nov. 1856 
 Harris, Robert Sept. 1718 
 
 Grieve, Robert Mar. 1819 
 
 Grieve, R. Symington Oct. 1845 
 Grieve, William April 1858 
 Griffith, William Aug. 1807 
 Grindlay, George Dec. 1782 
 Grindlay, John Nov. 1814 
 
 Grindley, George Mar. 1796 
 Grubb, John Stuart _. Feb. 1856 
 Gullan, John Nov. 1799 
 
 Harris, Thomas July 1797 
 Hart, James Jan. 1688 
 
 Hathorn, Heugh Oct. 1706 
 Hathorn, William __ Jan. 1712 
 Hawser, William __ Feb. 1682 
 
 Gulland, James _ Feb. 1860 
 
 Gulland, John June i86z 
 
 Hackston, William __ July 1683 
 Hadaway, Patrick Dec. 1790 
 Hadding, George May 1691 
 Haden James Mar. 1703 
 
 Hay, Adam _____ Nov. 1818 
 
 Hay, Charles April 1700 
 
 Hay, John Dec. 1787 
 
 Hay, Lewis _ __ _ Dec. 1790 
 
 Hay, Thomas April 1700 
 
 Haig, Alexander Nov. 1818 
 Haig, James, jun. Nov. 1818 
 Haliburton, George __ Dec. 1725 
 Haliburton, Gilbert __ Aug. 1732 
 Haliburton, John Oct. 1739 
 Haliburton, John Aug. 1740 
 Halliday, John Oct. 1691 
 
 Hay, Thomas _ Nov. 1825 
 
 Hedderwick, Patrick Aug. 1714 
 Heill, James May 1810 
 
 Henderson, Alexander May 1691 
 Henderson, Alexander Dec. 1802 
 Henderson, Alexander Oct. 1808 
 Henderson, Andrew.. Sept. 1717 
 Henderson, Bernard __ Oct. 1776 
 Henderson, David Dec. 1817 
 Henderson, Eagle May 1844 
 Henderson, Mungo __ Dec. 1817 
 Henderson, lames Sept. 1701 
 
 Hall, David ___ _ Aug. 1706 
 
 Hall, Robert J une J 79^ 
 
 Hall, William Mar 1822 
 
 Hall, William ___ __ Oct. 1710 
 
 Hall, William Aug 1739 
 
 Hall, William __ __ Dec. 1777 
 
 Henderson, James __ July 1797 
 
 
Appendix. 
 
 XI 
 
 Henderson, John May 1705 
 Henderson, John Oct. 1721 
 Henderson, John Dec. 1817 
 Henderson, Thomas__ Aug. 1788 
 Henderson, Thos., jr. June 1808 
 Henderson, William __ Oct. 1800 
 Henderson, William.. Oct. 1811 
 Henderson, William __ Mar. 1819 
 Henderson, William.. Sept. 1824 
 Henderson, William Aug 1857 
 
 Hume, William Jan. 1762 
 Hunter, Alexander __ Feb. 1735 
 Hunter, Andrew Nov. 1790 
 Hunter, Andrew Oct. 1810 
 Hunter, David J une '847 
 
 List of 
 Members 
 
 Hunter, David J une '862 
 
 Hunter, George July 1804 
 Hunter, James Feb. 1753 
 
 Hunter, James Jan. 1776 
 
 Hunter, James _ fuly 1791 
 
 Hendry, Robert Mar. 1695 
 Hepburn, John Mar 1695 
 
 Hunter, Fohn Sept. 1690 
 
 Hunter, John _ Oct. 1690 
 
 Hepburn, J ]u\y J 684 
 
 Hunter, John June 1812 
 
 Hepburn, Thomas __ Nov. 1754 
 Heriot, Alexander J u ty 1682 
 Heriot, Thomas Dec. 1734 
 Heriot, Thomas Oct. 1782 
 Heriot, Thomas Sept. 1816 
 Heswell, James July 1-851 
 Hewat, John ' Oct. 1845 
 
 Hunter, Robert Nov. 1691 
 Hunter, Robert Oct. 1697 
 
 Hunter, Wm., sen. __ Feb. 1736 
 Hunter, William Oct. 1776 
 Hunter, William Nov. 1795 
 Hunter, William Dec. 1834 
 Hutcheson, William __ Feb. 1694 
 Hutchison, Alexander Oct. 1782 
 Hutchison, Archibald June 1711 
 Hutchison, David Sept. 1706 
 Hutchison, James Oct. 1750 
 Hutchison, John Oct. 1767 
 Hutchison, Robert __ July 1690 
 Hutchison, Thomas April 1775 
 Hutton, James J u 'y J 7'8 
 
 Hill, Peter __ July 1813 
 
 Hill, Robert Mar. 1819 
 
 Hill, William, jun. __ Nov. 1816 
 Hodge, Alexander Dec. 1716 
 Hog, Walter Mar. 1734 
 
 Hogg, Thomas Nov. 1759 
 
 Hogg, William Mar. 1709 
 
 Hogg, William, jun. __ Aug. 1715 
 Hogg, William Sept 1815 
 
 Hutton, Tames J an> 1721 
 
 Home, Alexander Aug. 1701 
 Hoome, David May 1688 
 
 Hutton, John _ Nov. 1790 
 
 Hutton, Robert Oct. 1706 
 
 Hope, Alexander Jan. 1765 
 Hope, John Aug 1699 
 
 Hutton, Robert June 1839 
 Hutton, William Jan. 1688 
 
 Hopkirk, John Oct. 1691 
 
 Hutton, William July 1711 
 Hutton, William Jan. 1761 
 
 Inches, Alexander __ May 1844 
 Inches, Robert May 1844 
 
 Hopkirk, William __ Jan. 1688 
 Hopkirk, William __ May 1688 
 Horner, John __ _ _ Feb. 1777 
 
 Homer, Leonard Mar. 1825 
 Horsburgh, John Aug. 1718 
 Houstoun, Archibald Dec. 1755 
 Howie, John Sept. 1785 
 
 Inglis, Alexander Nov. 1790 
 Inglis, Charles Dec. 1824 
 
 Inglis, Claud J une ' 74^ 
 
 Hume, Archibald Feb. 1698 
 Hume, Archibald Aug. 1710 
 
 Inglis, George Sept. 1815 
 
 Inglis, George, jun. __ Dec. 1820 
 
xii 
 
 
 Apfn 
 
 idix. 
 
 List of 
 
 f 
 
 nglis, lames . Dec. 1780 
 
 Kedslie, Andrew _ Dec. 1806 
 
 Members 
 
 I 
 
 nglis, John Oct. 1746 
 
 Kelso, Francis _ Feb. 1736 
 
 
 T 
 
 nglis, Patrick Oct. 1690 
 
 Kennedy, Alexander Oct. 1793 
 
 
 T 
 
 nglis, Patrick Aug. 1754 
 
 Kennedy, Tames Oct. 1799 
 
 
 T 
 
 nnes, Alexander Jan. 1714 
 
 Keir, Adam Nov. 1786 
 
 
 T 
 
 nnes, Charles Nov. 1774 
 
 Kerr, Alexander . April 1811 
 
 
 I 
 
 nnes. Robert April 1855 
 
 Kerr, Andrew Mar 1859 
 
 
 T 
 
 nnes, Theodore _ Sept. 1716 
 
 Kerr, Charles Nov 1790 
 
 
 I 
 
 reland, Alexander May 1840 
 
 Kerr, Tames Mar. 1826 
 
 
 1 
 
 reland, Thomas May 1810 
 
 Kerr, John Feb. 1682 
 
 
 1 
 
 reland, Thomas, jun. June 1830 
 
 Kerr, Robert Oct. 1781 
 
 
 1 
 
 rvine, Robert Dec. 1843 
 
 Kerr, Thomas Sept. 1794 
 
 
 
 [ack, Andrew 3 J u 'y i%3 1 
 
 Kerr, Thomas, jun. Mar. 1819 
 Kerr, William Aug 1708 
 
 
 J 
 
 [ackson, Charles __ ._ Dec. 1699 
 
 Kerr, William _ Nov. 1790 
 
 
 
 ackson, Tames J urie *777 
 
 Kerr, William Aug. 1857 
 
 
 . 
 
 affray, William Dec. 1691 
 amieson, Alexander Sept. 1816 
 amieson, Peter Aug. 1857 
 amieson, Thomas __ Nov. 1790 
 amieson, Thos., jun. July 1797 
 amieson, William __ Dec. 1820 
 [effrey, David Aug. 1858 
 
 Kilgour, James Nov. 1816 
 Kilpatrick, John April 1705 
 Kincaid, Michael Dec. 1690 
 Kinghorn, Alexander April 1859 
 Kininmont, Alexander Nov. 1825 
 Kinnear, Alexander __ Nov. 1790 
 Kinnear, David Oct. 1793 
 
 
 
 effrey, John J une 1862 
 
 Kinnear, George Nov. 1782 
 
 
 - 
 
 'ohnston, A. Hall __ Nov. 1819 
 ohnston, Alex. Keith Jan. 1853 
 ohnston, James J u l/ 1801 
 ohnston, John _ uly 1804 
 ohnston, John J une '837 
 ohnston, John Dec. 1850 
 ohnston, Michael __ Oct. 1853 
 ohnston, Robert J u ty *797 
 ohnston, Thos B Tune 1862 
 
 Kinnear, George Oct. 1830 
 Kinnear, Robert July 1810 
 Kinnear, Thomas Jan. 1759 
 Kinnear, Thomas Nov. i8r8 
 Kirkland, Robert Feb. 1736 
 Kirkwood, James Sept. 1794 
 Kirkwood, James Oct. 1812 
 Kirkwood, Robert __ Dec. 1820 
 Knight, John May 1688 
 
 
 
 ohnston, Sir William June 1839 
 
 Knox, James May 1858 
 
 
 
 [ohnstone, John April 1693 
 
 Knox, Thomas J u ty 1856 
 
 
 
 [ohnstone, Patrick __ Jan. 1684 
 [ohnstone, Robert __ Feb. 1697 
 [ohnstone, Robert Dec. 1755 
 
 Lachlan, Joseph Jan. 1765 
 Laing Aug. 1721 
 
 
 
 [ollie, George __ Jan. 1688 
 
 Laing, James Oct. 1776 
 
 
 
 [oss, Robert J u ty J 797 
 
 Lamb, James __ Nov. 1719 
 
 
 
 
 Lamb, John Nov. 1683 
 
 
 
 Caigan, James April 1711 
 
 Lamb, William Aug. 1695 
 
 
 
 ECay, Thomas Nov. 1851 
 
 Lamb, William _ Feb. 1777 
 
 
 
 
 
A * 
 
 Appendix. 
 
 xiii 
 
 Landale, George Nov. 1816 
 Lamond, Alexander.. Nov. 1822 
 Lamond, John Aug. 1739 
 
 Lindsay, Robeit Oct. 1849 
 Lindsay, Thomas Nov. 1691 
 Lindsay, Thos. Steven Dec. 1858 
 Lithgow, James Nov. 1683 
 Lithgow, Robert Aug. 1730 
 Livingstone, Alexander April 1783 
 Livingstone, Alexander Nov. 1797 
 Livingstone, Alexander Sept. 1725 
 Livingstone, Alexander June 1832 
 Livingstone, John June 1749 
 Livingstone, John Oct. 1820 
 Livingstone, Josiah __ Oct. 1793 
 Livingstone, Josiah __ Oct. 1847 
 Livingstone, Josiah __ June 1859 
 Lizars, Daniel Nov. 1797 
 
 List of 
 Members 
 
 i 
 
 Lamond, Peter Oct. 1799 
 
 Lauder, James _ _ Feb. 1736 
 
 Lauder, John Oct. 1804 
 
 Lauder, John May 1814 
 
 Law, William Oct. 1776 
 
 Lawrie, George Sept. 1816 
 
 Lawrie, John __ Oct. 1799 
 
 Lawson, Alexander __ Jan. 1698 
 Lawson, Andrew M. Jan. 1857 
 Lawson, Charles Mar. 1826 
 Lawson, Charles, jun. Jan. 1857 
 Lawson, George S. __ June 1862 
 Lawson, H. Graham Jan. 1860 
 Lawson, Tames _ Oct. 1782 
 
 Lizars, William Home Nov. 1844 
 Loch, David Oct. 1722 
 
 Lawson, Peter Dec. 1811 
 
 Loch, John Sept. 1705 
 
 Lawson, Robert Dec. 1709 
 Lawson, Robert Jan. 1860 
 Lawson, Stephen Oct. 1806 
 Lawson, William Oct. 1782 
 Learmont, John Oct. 1690 
 Learmonth, John, jun. Jan. 1789 
 Leechman, James Oct. 1814 
 Legh, Humphrey Sept. 1710 
 Lermont, Walter Jan. 1685 
 Leslie, George Nov. 1782 
 
 Lockhart, Andrew Sept. 1690 
 Lorimer, George J u ty- 1841 
 Lorimer, James J un e !74^ 
 
 Lothian, George, jun. Jan. 1758 
 Lothian, John __ J an - J 7S^ 
 
 Lothian, Mauiice Mar. 1814 
 Lothian, Walter Feb. 1782 
 Lothian, William Mar. 1796 
 Louthian, George Aug. 1691 
 Louthiane, George Sept, 1727 
 Low, Hugh Feb 1694 
 
 Leslie, John May 1696 
 
 Lewis, James _ Feb. i 857 
 
 Lucas, Robert Oct. 1806 
 
 Lewis, John Dec. 1814 
 
 Luke, Adam Feb 1817 
 
 Libberton, John Dec. 1684 
 Libberton, John J une 1696 
 Lightbody, Robert __ Sept. 1703 
 Lind, Adam _ J an - 1706 
 
 Luke, John Tune 1824 
 
 Lumsdaine, Archibald Mar. 1814 
 Lyall, John Sept l8iC 
 
 Lyell, Thomas Tan 1708 
 
 Li nd, George Jan. 1688 
 
 Lyon, William Nov i8<jo 
 
 Lindsay, Alexander __ Sept. 1721 
 Lindsay, David Aug. 1699 
 
 M'Alister, Matthew.- June 1742 
 M'Aulay, Archibald Oct 1710 
 
 Lindsay, Henry April 1761 
 
 Lindsay, James__ Mar. 1825 
 
 Macbrair, James Nov. 1818 
 M'Caskie, James Nov. 1850 
 M'Clish, John Mar 1814 
 
 Lindsay, James Mar. 1716 
 
 Lindsay, John Feb. 1684 
 
 Lindsay, Robert _ _ Tune I72<; 
 
 M'Craw, John Tan 182^ 
 
 
 
xiv 
 
 Appendix. 
 
 List of 
 Members 
 
 M'Crobie, John Sept. 1794 
 M'Coull, Archibald __ Jan. 1749 
 M'Culloch, Alexander Mar. 1734 
 M'Culloch, Ebenezer June 1742 
 Macdonald, Angus __ Feb. 1782 
 Macdonald, Donald __ Nov. 1823 
 Macdonald, Donald Nov. 1825 
 Macdonald, James __ Nov. 1809 
 Macdonald, James Dec. 1823 
 M'Donald, Robert __ Nov. 1822 
 M'Donall, James Sept. 1743 
 M'Dowall, Archibald July 1773 
 M'Dowall, James, jun. Dec. 1755 
 Macfarlane, Alexander May 1716 
 M'Farlane, Andrew __ Sept. 1703 
 M'Farlane, Duncan Sept. 1772 
 Macfarlane, John F. Nov. 1825 
 M'Farlane, Wardlaw Aug. 1857 
 Macfie, John Sept. 1816 
 
 Mackinlay, William Dec. 1817 
 Mackintosh, Rob. T. June 1862 
 M'Knight June 1725 
 Mackpherson, Daniel Feb. 1682 
 Machine, Donald Dec. 1784 
 M'Laren, David May 1851 
 M'Laren, Duncan Mar. 1826 
 M'Laren, James Oct. 1833 
 M'Laren, John Tan. 1758 
 
 M'Laren, John Feb. 1793 
 
 Maclean, Dugald Sept. 1825 
 M'Lean, John Mar. 1798 
 
 M'Lean, William Aug. 1775 
 M'Leish, James J une 1824 
 M'Millan, James Sept. 1704 
 M'Nab, James _ Feb. 1782 
 
 M'Naught, James .. Mar. 1819 
 M'Naughton, James__ May 1777 
 M'Nanghton, Peter May 1777 
 Macpherson, David _. Dec. 1776 
 M'Pherson, John May 1836 
 M'Phersonne, Elias __ Jan. 1685 
 M'Phin, Wm.,jun.__ Nov. 1819 
 M'Queen, George Jan. 1758 
 M'Queen, John Mar. 1840 
 Macredie, Alexander Sept. 1816 
 MacRitchie, Thomas Jan. 1798 
 M'Vicar, Neil _ Aug. 1740 
 
 M'Gachen, Robert __ April 1779 
 M'Ghee, James Jan 1693 
 Macgibbon, Charles __ Mar. 1826 
 Macgibbon, David __ June 1862 
 M'Gibbon, Malcolm Aug. 1703 
 M'Gili, Alexander __ Jan. 1688 
 M'Gill, John, jun. __ Jan. 1688 
 M'Grigor, Peter Mar. 1815 
 M'Hendrie, William Jan. 1688 
 M'Intosh, James May 1851 
 Maclvor, Evander Sept. 1701 
 M'llwraith, John Nov. 1682 
 Mackay, John May 1852 
 
 Macvicar, Neil Dec. 1776 
 
 Maitland, Robert May 1691 
 Manderston, John May 1816 
 Manderstone, Patrick Sept. 1732 
 Mann, John __ July 1791 
 
 Mackay, Patrick Dec. 1798 
 
 Mackenzie, Alexander Dec. 1813 
 Mackenzie, Kincaid June 1798 
 Mackenzie, Lewis May 1816 
 Mackenzie, Wm. B. Mar. 1826 
 Mackill, James Dec. 1782 
 Mackinlay, Archibald Dec. 1782 
 Mackinlay, David __ Sept. 1815 
 Mackinlay, John Dec. 1785 
 M'Kinlay, Robert -- Oct. 1711 
 Mdckinlay, Robert __ Sept. 1825 
 
 Mansfield, James Nov. 1731 
 Mansfield, James June 1745 
 Mansfield, James Oct. 1788 
 Mansfield, John Jan. 1759 
 Mar, William May 1810 
 
 Marjoribanks, John July 1801 
 Marnoch, John July 1797 
 Marr, James Dec. 1817 
 
 Marshall, Andrew __ Sept. 1794 
 Marshall, Archibald.. Oct. 1845 
 
Appendix. 
 
 XV 
 
 Marshall, Francis Jan. 1761 
 Marshall, Francis, jun. Jan. 1784 
 Marshall, James Mar. 1861 
 Marshall, Robert Feb. 1824 
 Marshall, William __ Sept. 1794 
 Marshall, William __ Feb. 1705 
 Martin, Tames Nov. 1831 
 
 Middlemass, Robert April 1858 
 Middleton, Robert __ April 1697 
 Middleton, Robert Mar. 1703 
 Mill, John May 1814 
 
 List of 
 Members 
 
 Millar, Adam April 1862 
 
 Millar, Andrew Feb. 1824 
 Millar, Archibald __ July 1797 
 Millar, John Oct. 1693 
 
 Martin, William Oct. 1790 
 Mason, Alexander __ Oct. 1728 
 Mason, Ebenezer Feb 1782 
 
 Millar, John Nov, 1825 
 
 Millar, John Mar. 1826 
 
 Massie, Henry J u ty 1696 
 
 Miller, Alexander May 1833 
 Miller, Andrew ]u\y 1804 
 Miller, David April 1698 
 
 Matheson, Alexander Oct. 1854 
 Mastertone, John __ Mar. 1709 
 Mathew, George Dec. 1811 
 Mathie, George Dec. 1700 
 Mathieson, William.. July 1718 
 Mathison, Simon Aug. 1727 
 Maxton, Patrick June 1805 
 Megget, John _ Jan. 1789 
 
 Miller, Tames Aug 1739 
 
 Miller, John Nov. 1825 
 
 Miller, John Mar 1 849 
 
 Miller, Robert Nov. 1811 
 
 Miller, William Aprili775 
 Miller, William, jun. April 1813 
 Millons, David Noble Jan. 1861 
 Millons, Thomas Mar. 1840 
 Milne, David _ Jan. 1765 
 
 Meikle, George Nov. 1823 
 Meiklejohn, Fatrick__ Sept. 1796 
 Mein, Archibald Jan. 1861 
 Mein, Henry May 1688 
 
 Milne, Tames Dec. 1790 
 
 Meior, Andrew Dec. 1782 
 Melliss, Andrew Dec. 1817 
 Melrose, Andrew Sept. 1816 
 Melville, Andrew __ Mar. 1695 
 Menelaws, James Dec. 1802 
 Menzies, Archibald __ June 1713 
 Menzies, Archibald Feb. 1793 
 Menzies, Graham June 1857 
 Menzies, James Feb. 1736 
 Menzies, John Oct. 1814 
 
 Milne, James J u ^7 ^803 
 
 Milne, Tohn Aug. 18*52 
 
 Milne, Peter Mar. 1859 
 
 Milne, Thomas Feb. 1798 
 Milne, William Mar. 1831 
 Milroy, Andrew July 1811 
 Mitchell, Alexander.- Sept. 1723 
 Mitchell, David Feb. 1697 
 Mitchell, Francis Sept. 1825 
 Mitchell, James May 1691 
 Mitchell, James __,_ June 1798 
 Mitchell, James Aug. 1852 
 Mitchell, James Peter Nov. 1822 
 Mitchell, John__ Dec. 1709 
 
 Menzies, John J une '851 
 
 Menzies, Robert Oct. 1806 
 Menzies, Robert D Mar. 1819 
 Mercer, Alexander __ Aug. 1721 
 Mercer, Alexander Jan. 1762 
 Mercer, George June 1818 
 Mercer, Walter Mar. 1848 
 
 Mitchell, Robert Nov. 1816 
 Mitchell, Robert Nov. 1818 
 Moffat, William Aug. 1725 
 Moinet, John Nov 1849 
 
 Merry, James J une '71? 
 
 Michie, Thomas Oct. 1767 
 
 Moir. John Tune 1748 
 
 Middlemass, James __ Oct. 1854 
 
 MoncriefF, John Scott Aug. 1861 
 
xvi 
 
 Appendix. 
 
 List of 
 Members 
 
 Moncrieff, Robert Scott Mar. 1763 
 Moncrieff, Robert Scott June 1798 
 Monteith, Thomas __ Aug. 1709 
 Montgomery, George Dec. 1790 
 Montgomery, Thomas Aug. 1682 
 Mote George J an - 1759 
 
 Murray, George, jun. Sept. 1817 
 Murray, George Dec. 1848 
 Murray, Gideon July 1698 
 Murray, Hector Sept. 1817 
 Murray, Henry Tan. 1783 
 
 Murray, Tames Mar 1709 
 
 More, John J u 'y 1 7 1 7 
 
 Murray, James - Tan. 1751 
 
 More, Robert Mar. 1814 
 
 Murray, James Aug 1788 
 
 Morison, John Oct. 1800 
 
 Murray, James Dec. 1811 
 
 Morison, John __ Oct. 1856 
 
 Murray, James T U ^Y 1816 
 
 Morison, Robert John Aug. 1858 
 Morisone, William __ Oct. 1716 
 Morrison, William __ Jan. 1759 
 Morton, Robert Oct. 1811 
 Mosman, George Sept. 1721 
 Mosman, John __ _ J un ^ *742 
 
 Murray, John .. Aug. 1699 
 
 Murray, John Dec. 1756 
 
 Murray, John Nov. 1799 
 
 Murray, Patrick Sr-pt. 1730 
 Murray, Patrick, jun. Aug. 1745 
 Murray, Robert May 1691 
 Murray, Walter J une ^99 
 Murray, William Dec. 1754 
 Murray, William, jun. Nov. 17*54 
 Murray, William Sept. 1815 
 
 Nairn, John Oct 1776 
 
 Mosman, William __ Jan. 1687 
 Mossman, Adam April 1856 
 Moubray, Alexander Jan. 1769 
 Mowbray, Robert Nov. 1759 
 Mowbray, Robert Nov. 1818 
 Muat Andrew Aug. 1745 
 
 Muat, John Aug. 1775 
 
 Nairn, John Oct. 1795 
 
 Muckle, Alexander __ June 1824 
 Muir, John May 1789 
 
 Nalder, Francis Nov. 1 809 
 
 Napier, James __ __ Aug. 1745 
 
 Muir, John Aug. 1858 
 
 Neall, John J an - 1765 
 
 Muir, Richard Ged __ Aug. 1851 
 Muir, William Feb. 1827 
 
 Neil, Robert J une 1807 
 
 Neill, John Aug. 1829 
 
 Muirhead, Claud Dec. 1812 
 Muirhead, James Jan. 1718 
 Muirhead, James June 1808 
 Muirhead, John May 1680 
 Muirhead, Patrick __ Aug. 1725 
 Muirhead, Robert __ Aug. 1718 
 Munro, Henry Jan. 1848 
 Munro, John Jan. 1762 
 
 Neilson, Thomas Oct. 1790 
 Newton, Abram Nov. 1797 
 Newton, Francis Feb. 1697 
 Newton, Thomas Mar. 1734 
 Nicol, George, jun. __ Jan. 1711 
 Nicoll, George Aug. 1716 
 
 Nicolson, Daniel Aug. 1818 
 Nicolson, David Sept. 1816 
 Nisbet, Alexander Nov. 1769 
 Nisbet, Thomas May 1854 
 Niven, John _ J u ty *73 
 
 Munro, William Jan. 1765 
 Munson, Andrew Aug. 1684 
 Murdoch, Archibald __ Dec. 1770 
 Murray, A Feb 1682 
 
 Norie, Robert Aug. i n o6 
 
 Murray, Alexander Jan. 1860 
 Murray, Archibald Sept. 1706 
 Murray, George June 1798 
 
 Noullingham, George Feb. 1685 
 Ogilvie, Archibald __ Jan. 1857 
 
Appendix. 
 
 xvii 
 
 Ogilvie, Tames 
 
 Mar. 1838 
 Feb. 1726 
 Dec. 1690 
 April 1712 
 Nov. 1809 
 Oct 1691 
 Mar. 1825 
 Mar. 1814 
 Sept. 1709 
 Nov. 1825 
 May 1692 
 Feb. 1824 
 Feb. 1697 
 Aug. 1720 
 
 Dec. 1819 
 
 July 1797 
 Feb. 1851 
 Aug. 1858 
 Nov. 1708 
 Nov. 1693 
 Mar. 1819 
 Jan. 1790 
 Mar. 1859 
 Mar. 1819 
 Feb. 1684 
 July 1797 
 Feb. 1752 
 Mar 1854 
 Dec. 1806 
 Jan. 1769 
 Mar. 1848 
 Feb. 1782 
 Mar. 1819 
 Oct. 1814 
 Aug. 1775 
 Nov. 1729 
 Feb. 1694 
 Dec. 1804 
 July 1813 
 Sept. 1806 
 June 1802 
 Dec. 1782 
 
 Peat, John J an - I 7&9 
 
 List of 
 Members 
 
 Ogilvy, JJavid 
 
 Pedden, John Nov. 1691 
 
 Oliphant, John 
 
 Peddle, William Oct. 1812 
 Fender, James B. __ Dec. 1841 
 Peribau, Alexander __ Jan. 1701 
 Philip, Charles, jun. __ Dec. 1836 
 Phin, Charles Dec. 1784 
 
 Oliphant, John 
 
 Oliphant, William __ 
 Oliver, John 
 
 Oliver, Robert Stephen 
 Omond, George 
 Ord, George 
 
 Phin, William Feb. I78z 
 
 Phin, William, jun __ Nov. 1819 
 Pillans, John Dec. 1770 
 
 Ormiston, James 
 Ormiston, John 
 Orr, Tames 
 
 Piper, Edward _ June 1830 
 
 Pirrie, George Dec. 1770 
 
 Osburn, John 
 
 Pirrie, William _ Oct. 1^67 
 
 Owen, James 
 
 Pitcairn, Alexander __ Oct. 1788 
 Pitcairn, Archibald __ Dec. 1755 
 Pitcairn, John Oct. 1788 
 
 Pago, James 
 
 Panton, William 
 Panton, William 
 Park, Archibald 
 Parkhill, John 
 
 Pitcarne, George Feb. 1752 
 Plenderleath, Patrick Aug. 1714 
 Plenderleath, Robert Feb. 1782 
 Fleydell, John _ July 1804 
 
 Pateison, Alexander.. 
 Paterson, Aichibald 
 Paterson, David 
 Paterson, James 
 Paterson, James 
 Paterson, James 
 Paterson, James, jun. 
 Paterson, John 
 
 Pond, Samuel Dec. 1814 
 
 Porteous, Alexander Mar. 1706 
 Porteous, John Aug. 1694 
 
 Porteous, John Mar. 1819 
 
 Porteous, Robert Aug. 1711 
 Pott, George Mar. 1684 
 
 Potts George H Tune i 862 
 
 Potts, William Jan. 1852 
 
 Paters n, Magnus M. 
 Paterson, Richard 
 Pateison, Samuel 
 Faterson, William __ 
 Patison, William 
 Fatison, William, jun. 
 Paton, Andrew 
 
 Preston, John Dec. 1690 
 
 Pringle, James J an - 1688 
 
 Pringle, James J an> *^93 
 
 Pringle, John Jan. 1688 
 Purdie, Thomas J u e 1861 
 Purves, Alexander __ Aug. 1740 
 Purves, Thomas ]uly 1804 
 Pym, Joseph April 1775 
 
 Paton, James . 
 
 Faton, John 
 
 Pyper, Thomas Mar 1819 
 
 Paton, William 
 
 Raeburn, William __ Sept. 1794 
 Raimes, Richard June 1862 
 Rainie, Robert April 1859 
 
 Patterson, Thomas __ 
 Pattison, William 
 Paul, Alexander 
 Pearson, John __ 
 
 Ramage, Alexander Dec. 1785 
 Ramage, John Oct I7QX 
 
 Pearson, William 
 
 
 
xviii 
 
 Appendix. 
 
 List of 
 Membets 
 
 Ramsay, George Sept 1732 
 Ramsay, George Dec. 1790 
 Ramsav, James Oct. 1814 
 
 Richardson, William Mar. 1796 
 Richardson, William May 1844 
 Richie, James J an - 1687 
 
 Ramsay, John May 1810 
 
 Richmond, James J U ^Y 1810 
 
 Ramsay, John J une 171 3 
 
 Richmond, John July 1804 
 Riddell, Alexander _. Feb. 1698 
 Riddell, George Feb. 1682 
 Ritchie, Alexander Jan. 1759 
 Ritchie, Charles May 1789 
 Ritchie, George May 1844 
 Ritchie, James _ __ Aug. ijn 
 
 Ramsay, Peter Nov. 1818 
 
 Ramsav, Robert Feb. 1786 
 Ramsay, Robert, jun. June 1798 
 Ramsay, William Feb. 1736 
 Ramsay, William Mar. 1763 
 Ramsay, William, jun. Oct. 1788 
 Ranlten, Robert Dec. 1820 
 
 Ritchie, James Mar 1826 
 
 Rannie, Thomas June 1749 
 Rattray, Thomas J an *759 
 Ravenscroft,Edward__ April 1862 
 Reid, Alexander Dec. 1714 
 Reid, Alexander April 1783 
 Reid, Alexander Oct. 1795 
 Reid, Andrew _ May 1688 
 
 Ritchie, Robert Mar. 1826 
 Ritchie, William Oct. 1795 
 Robb, John Tan 1761 
 
 Robertson, J. May 1722 
 
 Robertson, Charles Aug. 1707 
 Robertson, Edward _. Dec. 1807 
 Robertson, Gilbert __ Dec. 1687 
 Robertson, James Feb. 1752 
 Robertson, James Oct. 1800 
 Robertson, James Mar. 1815 
 Robertson, James Dec. 1848 
 Robertson, John Dec. 1695 
 
 Reid, George Aug. 1731 
 
 Reid, Tames _ Sept. 1796 
 
 Reid, James, jun Mar. 1819 
 Reid, John ___ __ June 1725 
 
 Reid Tohn J u ty *797 
 
 Reid, William Sept. 1815 
 
 Robertson, John Oct. 1795 
 Robertson, John Sept. 1815 
 Roberts )n, John Mar 1828 
 
 Reid, William _ Mar. 1822 
 
 Reid William Oct 1847 
 
 Renton, Thomas April 1705 
 Renton, William Mar. 1805 
 Reoch, James ]u\y 1808 
 
 Robertson, John Dec. 1858 
 Robertson, Peter Oct. 1767 
 Robertson, Robert __ Feb. 1697 
 Robertson, William __ May 1699 
 Robertson, William __ April 1775 
 Robertson, William __ Oct. 1830 
 Robertsone, Daniel May 1699 
 Rodger, Thomas May 1709 
 Rodger, William Sept. 1693 
 Romaines, Jamts Dec. 1813 
 Rose, Hugh Feb. 1848 
 
 Reoch, John Dec. 1817 
 
 Rhind, Charles Nov. 1759 
 
 Richard, George J une 1807 
 Richardson, Francis__ May 1833 
 Richardson, James __ Dec. 1826 
 Richardson, James __ May 1852 
 Richardson, Jas., jun. Mar. 1819 
 Richardson, Peter __ Nov. 1818 
 Richardson, Ralph Jan. 1813 
 Richardson, Ralph __ Nov. 1823 
 Richardson, Richard Jan. 1789 
 Richardson, Robert April 1834 
 Richardson, Robert.. Oct. 1844 
 
 Ross, Alexander May 1810 
 Ross, David Feb. 1692 
 
 Ross David Nov. 1704 
 
 Ross, William Feb. 1697 
 
 Row, John _ Feb. 1736 
 
 
Appendix. 
 
 xix 
 
 RO\V) Thomas 
 
 Jan. 1685 
 Dec. 1858 
 Feb. 1697 
 April 1697 
 Aug. 1692 
 Nov. 1822 
 April 1834 
 Sept 1725 
 Dec. 1835 
 Oct. 1708 
 Sept. 1732 
 May 1688 
 June 1742 
 Dec. 1848 
 June 1713 
 Dec. 1776 
 Dec. 1814 
 Mar. 1815 
 Oct. 1739 
 Dec. 1833 
 July 1804 
 Mar. 1822 
 
 July 1851 
 Dec. 1755 
 Dec. 1811 
 Dec. 1807 
 Oct. 1793 
 Jan. 1765 
 Mar. 1796 
 May 1814 
 Feb. 1817 
 Sept. 1725 
 Dec. 1770 
 Jan. 1790 
 Dec. 1790 
 Nov. 1818 
 Feb. 1715 
 Oct. 1782 
 Aug. 1740 
 Mar. 1796 
 July 1810 
 Jan. 1758 
 
 Scott, Henry _ __ 
 
 Dec. 1817 
 May 1244 
 Sept. 1747 
 July 1791 
 Jan. 1691 
 May 1810 
 Oct. 1799 
 Oct. 1848 
 Sept. 1703 
 Aug. 1682 
 Mar. 1807 
 May 1856 
 Nov. 1754 
 Jan. 1688 
 Jan. 1725 
 Sept. 1796 
 Mar. 1840 
 Sept. 1712 
 Nov. 1731 
 April 1753 
 Oct. 1788 
 July 1797 
 Jan. 1765 
 Mar. 1826 
 Nov. 1790 
 Oct. 1795 
 June 1749 
 Aug. 1743 
 Jan. 1711 
 Sept. 1714 
 Aug. 1745 
 Feb. 1736 
 June 1717 
 May 1777 
 Oct. 1777 
 Jan. 1789 
 Dec. 1857 
 Nov. 1857 
 April 1700 
 Nov. 1790 
 Dec. 1790 
 April 1832 
 June 1862 
 
 List of 
 Members 
 
 Roy, James 
 
 Scott, Henry, jun. __ 
 Scott, James 
 
 Rule, Archibald 
 
 Russel, John-- 
 
 Scott, James 
 
 Russell, Adam 
 
 Scott, John 
 
 Russell, Alexander __ 
 Russell, Alexander __ 
 Russell, David 
 
 Scott, John 
 
 Scott; Peter 
 
 Scott, Peter Redford 
 Scott, Richard 
 
 Russell, George Eliza 
 Russell, John 
 
 Scott, Robert 
 
 Russell, John 
 
 Scott, Robert 
 
 Russell, Robert 
 Russell, Robert 
 
 -Scott, Robert 
 
 Scott, Robert, jun. __ 
 Scott, Thomas 
 
 Russell, Thomas 
 Russell, Walter 
 
 Scott, Thomas 
 
 Russell Walter, 
 Rutherford, John 
 Rutherford, John 
 Rutherford, William 
 Rutherfurd, William 
 Ruthven, Robert 
 Rymer, David 
 
 Scott, Thomas 
 
 Scott, Walter D. 
 Scott, William __ 
 
 Scott, William 
 
 Scott, William _ __ 
 
 Scott, William 
 
 Scott, William 
 
 Samuel, Peter 
 
 Scotland, William 
 Scotland, William 
 
 Samuel, Robert 
 Sanderson, John 
 Sanderson, Patrick __ 
 Sanderson, Robert __ 
 Sanderson, Thomas __ 
 Sanderson, Thomas __ 
 Sanderson, William __ 
 Sanson, James 
 
 Scougall, John 
 
 Scoular, John 
 
 Selkrig, Robert 
 
 Seton, Daniel 
 
 Seton, Tames 
 
 Seton, James 
 
 Seton, James, jun. 
 
 Sawers, Charles 
 Sawers, William 
 
 Seton, Robert 
 
 Seton, Walter 
 
 Sawyers, William 
 Scarth, Tames 
 
 Shand, Francis 
 
 
 Scarth, James 
 
 Shennan, John 
 
 Schaw, William 
 Scoffier, Joseph 
 
 Sheppard, James 
 Sheriff, Charles 
 Sherriff, Alexander 
 ShitrifF, Robert 
 
 Scott, Alexander 
 Scott, Alexander 
 Scott, Andrew 
 
 Sibbald, John 
 
 Scott, George 
 
 Sibbald, John 
 
 
 
XX 
 
 Appendix. 
 
 List of 
 Members 
 
 Sibbald, Thomas May 1816 
 Sibbald, William Nov. 1790 
 Sifwright, Thomas __ Jan. 1688 
 Sievwright, Andrew.- Dec. 1801 
 Si me, Thomas May 1856 
 
 Spence, George J u ty 1810 
 
 Spence, James Jan. 1687 
 
 Spence, John J un ^ '74^ 
 
 Spens, Robert Feb. 1697 
 
 Spital, James, jun. __ Nov. 1819 
 Spittal, Tames Nov. 1797 
 
 Simpson, Andrew June 1742 
 Simpson, George B Oct. 1849 
 Simpson, Henry Nov. 1691 
 Simpson, Henry June 1699 
 Simpson, James Aug. 1725 
 Simpson, James July 1797 
 Simpsone, James Dec. 1692 
 Simson, John Tan. 1688 
 
 Spittal, John Nov 1823 
 
 Spottiswood, John __ July 1791 
 Sprot, Alexander Dec. 1790 
 Stalker, William J une *7O9 
 Stark, John Dec. 1817 
 
 Steel, Alexander July 1797 
 Steele, James J an - 1751 
 Steele, Wilkinson ._ Dec. 1824 
 Stein, James Sept. 1796 
 
 Simson, Robert Jan. 1711 
 
 Sinclair, Tames Sept. 1815 
 
 Sinclair, John Dec. 1787 
 
 Stenhouse, John Tune 1742 
 
 Sinclair, John J u ty 1810 
 
 Stenson, George Aug. 1714 
 Stephen, Thomas Sept. 1729 
 Steven, William Mar. 1822 
 Stevenson, James J une 1798 
 Stevenson, John Dec. 1834 
 Stevenson, Michael May 1709 
 Stevenson, Peter Nov. 1759 
 Stevenson, Roger Jan. 1751 
 Stevenson, Samuel __ Feb. 1753 
 Stevenson, Thos. Geo. Mar. 1847 
 Stevenson, William __ June 1805 
 Stevinson, Alexander Feb. 1694 
 Stevinson, James Jan. 1688 
 Stewart, Archibald Aug. 1740 
 Stewart, Charles July 1714 
 Stewart, Daniel Sept. 1715 
 Stewart, David Sept. 1796 
 
 Sinclair, Malcolm Nov. 1801 
 Sivwright, John Feb. 1697 
 Skae, David Nov. 1782 
 
 Skinner, George Aug. 1706 
 Small, George J u ty 1813 
 
 Smellie, Alexander __ Nov. 1810 
 Smith, Alexander Oct. 1799 
 Smith, Andrew Jan. 1854 
 Smith, Donald J an - 1766 
 
 Smith, George Oct. 1690 
 
 Smith, James Taylor Oct. 1812 
 Smith, Robert Nov. 1797 
 
 Smith, Robert Oct. 1804 
 
 Smith, Thomas Mar. 1763 
 Smith, Thomas Sept. 1794 
 Smith, William Sept. 1747 
 Smyth, Robert Nov. 1683 
 
 Stewart, David May 1810 
 
 Smyth, Robert Feb. 1684 
 
 Stewart, George J an - 1762 
 Stewart, Gilbert Aug. 1682 
 Stewart, James Jan. 1707 
 Stewart, Tames _ Dec. 1754 
 
 Somervel, Robert July 1715 
 Somervill, David Aug. 1767 
 Sommerville, John __ Jan. 1691 
 Sommerville, William Feb. 1692 
 Sommerville, William May 1831 
 Spankie, George Nov. 1790 
 Speirs, John Aug. 1705 
 
 Stewart, James __ __ April 1775 
 
 Stewart, John Sept. 1727 
 
 Stewart, Malcolm Sept. 1794 
 Stewart, Mansfield __ Oct. 1782 
 Stewart, William Dec. 1740 
 
 Spence, David Dec. 1698 
 
 
Appendix. 
 
 xxi 
 
 Stewart, William 
 Still, Robert 
 
 Jan. 1759 
 Jan. 1784 
 Aug. 1739 
 Sept. 1729 
 Dec. 1776 
 June 1798 
 Sept. 1817 
 Dec. 1836 
 Jan. 1761 
 Dec. 1714 
 Mar. 1825 
 Nov. 1790 
 May 1814 
 Jan. 1847 
 Dec. 1817 
 Mar. 1796 
 July 1707 
 Sept. 1816 
 Aug. 1719 
 May 1814 
 May 1858 
 Dec. 1852 
 Nov. 1797 
 April 1857 
 Jan. 1687 
 Dec. 1820 
 Aug. 1696 
 
 April 1698 
 Oct. 1840 
 Dec. 1852 
 Aug. 1739 
 Aug. 1713 
 Oct. 1 86 1 
 June 1742 
 Feb. 1690 
 Oct. 1798 
 June i 86 i 
 Sept. 1817 
 Feb. 1701 
 Mar. 1783 
 Sept. 1796 
 May 1844 
 
 Thomson, Alexander 
 Thomson, Alexander 
 Thomson, Alex. S. __ 
 Thomson, Andrew 
 Thomson, Andw., jun. 
 Thomson, Andrew A. 
 Thomson, Archibald 
 Thomson, Charles __ 
 Thomson, David 
 
 Dec. 1848 
 Feb. 1853 
 Nov. 1822 
 Aug. 1699 
 Nov. 1731 
 April 1813 
 June 1812 
 Mar. 1826 
 Aug. 1703 
 Feb. 1793 
 Dec. 1805 
 July 1826 
 July 1826 
 Feb. 1694 
 Feb. 1793 
 May 1810 
 July 1810 
 May 1831 
 Mar. 1840 
 Jan. 1688 
 Mar. 1762 
 Feb. 1793 
 July 1797 
 Jan. 1798 
 May 1810 
 July 1 80 1 
 Feb. 1782 
 July 1791 
 Mar. 1796 
 Aug. 1858 
 Oct. 1810 
 May 1699 
 Dec. 1790 
 Jan. 1798 
 June 1805 
 Oct. 1827 
 May 1816 
 Nov. 1795 
 May 1816 
 Feb. 1824 
 July 1841 
 Nov. 1857 
 Oct. 1724 
 
 List of 
 Members 
 
 Stirling, Alexander __ 
 Stirling, James 
 
 Stirling, James 
 
 Stirling John 
 
 Stodart, Alexander _- 
 atodart, George 
 Stodart, Tames _ 
 
 Strachan, John 
 
 Thomson, David 
 Thomson, David 
 Thomson, David J. __ 
 Thomson, George G. 
 Thomson, James 
 Thomson, James 
 Thomson, James 
 Thomson, James 
 Thomson, James 
 Thomson, James G.__ 
 Thomson, John 
 Thomson, John 
 Thomson, John 
 Thomson, John 
 Thomson, John 
 Thomson, John 
 Thomson, John Deas 
 Thomson, John, jun. 
 Thomson, Robert 
 Thomson, Robert __ 
 Thomson, Robert D. 
 Thomson, Thomas __ 
 Thomson, William __ 
 Thomson, William _. 
 Thomson, William __ 
 Thomson, William __ 
 Thorburn, George 
 Thorburn, John 
 Thorburn, William ._ 
 Thorburn, Wm., jun. 
 Tod, James Banks __ 
 Tod, John 
 
 Strathy, John 
 
 Strong, Robert 
 
 Strong, Thomas.. __ 
 Sutherland, David R. 
 Sutherland, John 
 Sutherland, Thomas E. 
 Suttor, William 
 Swan, David 
 
 Swan, James 
 
 Swan, John 
 
 Swan, John Russell 
 Swanson, John 
 
 Swanston, John 
 Swanston, Thomas ._ 
 Swinton, William __ 
 Syme, John 
 
 Symmer, John 
 
 Tait, Alexander 
 Tait, William 
 
 Tait, William 
 
 Tailour, John 
 
 Taylor, John 
 
 Taylor, John 
 
 Taylor, William 
 Telford, Charles 
 Tenant, William 
 Thin, James 
 
 Thomson, Abraham 
 Thomson, Alexander 
 Thomson, Alexander 
 Thomson, Alexander 
 Thomson, Alexander 
 
 Tod, John 
 
 Tod, Oliver 
 
 
xxii 
 
 Appendix. 
 
 List of 
 Members 
 
 Tod, Thomas Tune 1740 Walker fames Sept 1704 
 
 Tod, William Aug. 171 c Walker, James Dec 1817 
 
 Tod, William Jan. 1725 Walker, James Nov. 1818 
 
 Tod, William J une 1742 Walker, James Mar 1861 
 
 Tod, William April 1825 Walker. Tohn Tulv 1701 
 
 Tod, William, sen. __ April 1730 
 Todd, James May 1609 
 
 Walker, John Dec. 181-7 
 
 Walker, Robert Aug. 1841 
 Walker, William Nov. 1724 
 
 Todd, Robert _ __ May 1688 
 
 Toran, Abraham Aug. 1691 
 Torry, Archibald July 1804 
 Torry, James Nov. 1769 
 
 Wallace, Alexander __ Dec. 1790 
 Wallace, Archibald, jun. Aug. 1731 
 Wallace, Charles Oct. 1767 
 Wallace, John Aug. 1740 
 
 Toward, Francis Jan. 1703 
 Trail, James May 1688 
 
 Wardlaw, Ebenezer __ July 1813 
 Wardlaw, Thomas __ June 1812 
 Wardrobe, David Jan. 1761 
 W^ardrop, John Oct 1806 
 
 Traill, John Tune 1725 
 
 Trotter, Archibald __ June 1749 
 Trotter, Thomas Aug. 1691 
 
 Trotter, Thomas Oct. 1724 
 Trotter, Thomas, jun. July 1748 
 Trotter, William Jan. 1769 
 Trotter, William J u ty J 797 
 Turnbull, Cornelius __ May 1688 
 Turnbull, John Jan. 1688 
 Turnbull, John Dec. 1699 
 Turnbull, John July 1804 
 Turnbull, Robert Dec. 1857 
 Turnbull, Thomas __ Sept. 1772 
 Turnbull, William __ Oct. 1782 
 Tweedie, Alexander.. Jan. 1790 
 
 Usher, Andrew May 1816 
 
 Valance, David Dec. 1802 
 Vallance, George April 1 843 
 Veitch, George Jan. 1766 
 Veitch, Robert Oct. 1705 
 Veitch, William June 1862 
 
 Waddel, William Aug. 1807 
 Waddell, William __ Oct. 1709 
 Walker, Alexander __ Oct. 1708 
 Walker, Andrew Aug. 1814 
 Walker, James. Feb. 1703 
 
 Waterston, Richard __ Mar. 1819 
 Waterstone, James __ Aug. 1708 
 Watherston, James __ Aug. 1861 
 Watherston, William Aug. 1861 
 Watkins, Richard __ Nov. 1708 
 Watson, Ebenezer __ Oct. 1827 
 Watson, George July 1791 
 Watson, George Nov. 1809 
 Watson, James Oct. 1779 
 
 Waugh, James, jun. __ June 1748 
 W^atson, John Aug. 1703 
 
 Watson, John Sept. 1732 
 
 Watson, John Nov. 1790 
 
 W^augh, John Dec 1805 
 
 Watson, John Aug. 1847 
 
 Watson, John, jun. May 1816 
 Watson, Robert Feb. 1694 
 Watson, Robert Jan. 1715 
 Weddell, James July 1797 
 Weir, John J U ^Y 1691 
 
 Weir, John Jan. 1762 
 
 Weir, John Oct. 1847 
 
 Weir, John, jun Oct. 1718 
 Welsh, John __ Aug. 1720 
 
 Wemyss, David Sept. 1701 
 Wemyss, David Sept. 1815 
 Wemyss, George June 1742 
 
 Walker, Tames Sept 1771; 
 
 
Appendix. 
 
 xxiii 
 
 White, Adam Dec. 1790 
 
 Wood, Christopher __ Dec. 1806 
 Wood. Tames Nov. 1607 
 
 List of 
 Members 
 
 White, George Oct. 1788 
 
 White Tames Mar. 1819 W\jod, James Mar. 1730 
 
 White^John Oct. 1786 Wood, John April 1828 
 
 White John Oct. 1788 ! Wood, Peter Nov. 1790 
 
 White, John Sept. 1704 Wood. Walter . Sent. I?OA 
 
 White, John Aitken Mar. 1859 
 Whitehead, William ._ June 1824 
 Wight, Alexander __ Dec. 1823 
 Williamson, Duncan Nov. 1693 
 Williamson, George.. Dec. 1817 
 Williamson, James __ Oct. 1793 
 Williamson, James Dec. 1804 
 Williamson, J.,jun.__ Nov. 1818 
 Williamson, Robert Jan. 1749 
 Williamson, Thomas June 1798 
 Williamsone, John __ May 1688 
 Wilkie, James _ _ Dec. 1755 
 
 Wright, Alexander __ Feb. 1682 
 Wright, Alexander July 1705 
 Wright, Alexander __ Nov. 1823 
 Wright, Alexander B. May 1844 
 Wright, Charles Wm. June 1862 
 Wright, George Nov. 1822 
 Wright, George Aug. 1857 
 Wright, John _ _ __ Aug. 1686 
 
 WVight, John J une '749 
 
 Wright, John Oct. 1793 
 
 Wright, Malcolm Oct. 1776 
 Wright, Robert Aug. 1745 
 Wright, Robert June 1823 
 Wyber, Patrick Oct. 1710 
 Wyld, James Dec. 1811 
 
 Wilkie, John Feb. 1697 
 
 Willison, David Dec. 1790 
 Willison, Robert April 1698 
 Wingate, Patrick Aug. 1710 
 Wingrave, Matthew Dec. 1826 
 Wilson, Alexander Aug. 1684 
 Wilson, Andrew April 1775 
 Wilson, Andrew Dec. 1802 
 Wilson, James May 1688 
 
 Wyld, William Dec. 1820 
 
 Wylie, David Aug. 1730 
 
 Wylie, Henry Aug. 1683 
 
 Yetts, William Dec 1777 
 
 Yool, Robert Aug. 1715 
 
 Wilson, Tames Sept 1705 
 
 Young, Archibald __ Nov. 1839 
 Young, James _ Aug. 1692 
 
 Wilson, James Mar. 1826 
 
 Wilson, ohn Tan 1726 
 
 Young, fames Nov 1724 
 
 Wilson, John _ __ Sept. 1816 
 
 Young, James Mar. 1826 
 
 Wilson, Robert Nov 1691 
 
 Young, Tames Tune 1862 
 
 Wilson, Robert Feb. 1753 
 Wilson, Robert Nov. 1825 
 Wilson, William Jan. 1687 
 Wilson, William Jan. 1704 
 Wishart, James April 1825 
 Wishart, John Kay __ May 1858 
 Work, Peter Aug. 1854 
 
 Young, John Sept. 1813 
 
 Young, Tohn H Aug 1784 
 
 Young, Richard June 1802 
 Young, Robert July 1748 
 
 Young, Thomas June 1717 
 Young, William Nov. 1825 
 Younger, William __ Aug. 1858 
 Yule, George July 1 803 
 
 Wood, Andrew July 1813 
 
 
xxiv 
 
 Appendix* 
 
 Number of 
 Members 
 
 No. II. NUMBER of MEMBERS annually ad- 
 mitted into the Merchant Company, from 
 1777 to 1862. 
 
 Year of No. of Year of No. of Year of No. of 
 Entry Members Entry Members Entry Members 
 1777 14 iBcfi TA iS-Jc-^ c 
 
 1 778 o 
 
 1 807 I C 
 
 1876-77 6 
 
 1779 6 
 1780 o 
 
 1808 . 6 
 
 18:7-78 7 
 
 1 8OQ Q 
 
 1878-70 
 
 1781 __ o 
 
 l8lO __ 22 
 
 *".)" jy *f 
 187.0-40 _ 8 
 
 1782 78 
 
 1811 13 
 
 1840*41 c 
 
 178^ o 
 
 1812 13 
 
 1 841-42 3 
 
 1784. 7 
 
 1813 16 
 
 1842-4-2 
 
 I 7 8c A 
 
 l8l4. 4O 
 
 1847-44 1 6 
 
 1786 8 
 
 1815 17 
 
 1 844-4 c 4 
 
 1787 10 
 
 1816 36 
 
 i8A<;-4.6 6 
 
 1788 i<; 
 
 1817 71 
 
 1846-47 6 
 
 1 780 
 
 1818 29 
 
 1747-48 14 
 
 I7QO CO 
 
 l8lO 27 
 
 1848-40 10 
 
 I 7QI - I 7 
 
 l82O 12 
 
 1840-So 8 
 
 1 70Z O 
 
 1821 3 
 
 i8<;o-<i 17 
 
 1703 l8 
 
 l822 _ 12 
 
 i8<;i-<;2 8 
 
 1704 17 
 
 1827 I 7 
 
 i8;2- 8 
 
 I 70? I 2 
 
 1824 16 
 
 I$S1-$A. 4 
 
 I7Q6 22 
 
 182? 30 
 
 l8s4-SS - . 4 
 
 17Q7 4.7 
 
 1826 25 
 
 i8<';-';6 6 
 
 1708 18 
 
 1827 __ 4 
 
 1856-57 22 
 
 I70Q 12 
 
 i8i8 2 
 
 i8<7-;8 _ 7? 
 
 1800 3 
 
 1820 4- 
 
 iS'jS-'JQ II 
 
 i 80 i ii 
 
 1810 <; 
 
 j8<;o-6o o 
 
 1802 9 
 
 1871-72* 6 
 
 1860-61 . ii 
 
 1807 6 
 
 1872-77 4 
 
 1861-62 (appli- 
 cations) 28 
 
 1804. 21 
 
 1877-74. 7 
 
 1805 _ _ 10 
 
 1874-75 _ 7 
 
 
 
 * This year is counted from the first Monday of September 1831 to the first Mon- 
 day of September 183x5 and the subsequent years are counted also from September to 
 September. 
 
Affendix. 
 
 xxv 
 
 No. III. MASTERS of the Merchant Com- 
 
 
 pany elected since 1681. 
 
 
 1681 Bailie George Drummond 
 
 1725 Thomas Dundas 
 
 Masters 
 
 1682 Bailie Thomas Douglas 
 
 1726 William Button 
 
 
 1683 Bailie James Nicolson 
 
 1727 William Robertson 
 
 
 1684 David Spence 
 
 1728 Robert Blackwood 
 
 
 1685 Bailie M'Intosh 
 
 1729 Hugh Hawthorn 
 
 
 1686 Bailie Brand 
 
 1730 John Osburne 
 
 
 1687 Robert Blackwood 
 
 1731 Thomas Young 
 
 
 1688 Bailie Murray 
 
 1732 John Cochran 
 
 
 1689 Bailie William Montgomery 
 
 1733 John Forrest 
 
 
 1690 Bailie Robert Blackwood 
 
 1734 Robert Purves 
 
 
 1691 Treasurer William Menzies 
 
 1735 Hugh Hawthorn 
 
 
 1692 Bailie Hugh Blair 
 
 1736 Alexander Sharp 
 
 
 1693 Bailie Hugh Cuninghame 
 1694 Bailie George Clark 
 
 1737 George Millar 
 1738 John Osburne 
 
 
 1695 Dean of " Gild " M'Lurg 
 
 '739 J onn Forrest 
 
 
 1696 Patrick Thomson, "present 
 
 1740 Robert Baillie 
 
 
 Lord Treasurer of Edinr." 
 
 1741 James Stuart 
 
 
 1697 Bailie Johnston 
 1698 Bailie George Warrender 
 
 1742 Walter Hogg 
 1743 Thomas Fairholm 
 
 
 1699 Bailie Adam Brown 
 1700 Alexander Baird 
 1701 Hugh Cunningham 
 
 1744 Thomas Young 
 1745 Archibald Angus 
 1746 Hugh Hawthorn 
 
 
 1702 John Hay 
 
 1747 John Forrest 
 
 
 1703 Henry Hawthorn 
 
 1748 David Inglis 
 
 
 1704 Bailie John Duncan 
 
 1749 John Dunsmure 
 
 
 1705 Francis Brodie 
 
 1750 Alexander Scott 
 
 
 1706 Bailie Warrender 
 
 1751 James Allan 
 
 
 1707 Treasurer William Baird 
 
 1752 Archibald Wallace 
 
 
 1708 Bailie George Lind 
 
 1753 Walter Hogg 
 
 
 1709 Bailie John Hay 
 
 1754 Archibald Angus 
 
 
 1710 Bailie Henry Hawthorn 
 1711 Treasurer William Dm das 
 
 1755 Alexander Scott 
 1756 John Forrest 
 
 
 1712 Bailie Thomas Dundas 
 
 1757 Archibald Wallace 
 
 
 1713 Capt. William Robertson 
 
 1758 Robert Lithgow 
 
 
 1714 Bailie John Osburne 
 
 1759 James Stewart 
 
 
 1715 Claud Johnston 
 
 1763 John Forrest 
 
 
 1716 Bailie Archibald Macauley 
 
 1761 William Callender 
 
 
 1717 Bailie John Hay 
 
 1762 Alexander Brown 
 
 
 1718 Treasurer John Forrest 
 
 1763 Thomas Hogg 
 
 
 1719 Bailie John Osburne 
 
 1764 Alexander Brown, senior 
 
 
 1720 Bailie Archibald Macauley 
 
 1765 John Forrest 
 
 
 1721 Bailie Thomas Dundas 
 
 1766 Archibald Wallace 
 
 
 1722 Bailie Hugh Hathorne 1767 John Dalrymple 
 1723 Bailie John Osburne 1768 William Callender 
 
 
xxvi 
 
 Appendix. 
 
 Masters 
 
 1769 John Forrest 
 
 1816 David Kinnear 
 
 
 1770 John Inglis 
 
 1817 William Patison 
 
 
 1771 William Alexander 
 
 1818 Sir William Forbes, Bart. 
 
 
 1772 Claud Inglis 
 
 1819 William Trotter 
 
 
 1773 Alexander Brown 
 
 1820 Walter Brown 
 
 
 177^. John Mossman 
 
 1821 Robert Hall 
 
 
 1775 John Dalrymple 
 1770 Alexander Hunter 
 
 1822 John Balfour 
 1823 John Homer 
 
 
 1777 Alexander Scott 
 
 1824 Archibald Anderson 
 
 
 1778 Thomas Elder 
 
 1825 Sir James Spittal 
 
 
 1779 James Stodart 
 
 1826 Alexander Henderson 
 
 
 1780 James Stirling 
 
 James Spittal* 
 
 
 1781 John Fyfe 
 
 1827 Charles Baxter 
 
 
 1782 David Milne 
 
 1828 Alexander Craig 
 
 
 1783 Alexander Brown 
 
 1829 Thomas Allan 
 
 
 1784 Neil M 4 Vicar 
 
 1830 Adam Black, M.P. 
 
 
 1785 Thomas Tod 
 
 1831 Robert Scott 
 
 
 1 786 Sir William Forbes, Bart. 
 
 1832 John Macfie 
 
 
 1787 John Gairdner 
 
 1833 Peter Lamond 
 
 
 1788 William Ramsay of Barnton 
 
 1834 John Lauder 
 
 
 1789 Alexander Houston 
 
 1835 Andrew Millar 
 
 
 1790 Charles Cowan 
 
 1836 Archibald Thomson 
 
 
 1791 Robert Young 
 
 1837 Robert Thomson 
 
 
 1792 Robert Forrester 
 
 1838 James Hill 
 
 
 1793 James Mansfield 
 
 1839 William Oliphant 
 
 
 1794 Sir James .Stirling, Bart. 
 
 1840 James Gifford 
 
 
 1795 Samuel Anderson 
 
 1841 Alexander Jamieson 
 
 
 1796 Walter Lothian 
 
 1842 Thomas Greig 
 
 
 1797 George Kinnear 
 
 1843 James Peter Mitchell 
 
 
 1798 William Fettes 
 
 1844 Robert Grieve 
 
 
 1799 J nn Ha 7 
 
 1845 James M'Laren 
 
 
 I8oo Andrew Bonar 
 
 1846 William Whitehead 
 
 
 1801 Alexander Wallace 
 
 1847 John Stark 
 
 
 1802 Sir William Forbes, Bart. 
 
 1848 Thomas Sibbald 
 
 
 1803 George Kinnear 
 
 1849 James Blackadder 
 
 
 1804 William Ramsay, jun. 
 
 1850 James Gall 
 
 
 1805 Robert Scott MoncrierT 
 
 1851 James Wilson 
 
 
 1806 Alexander Allan 
 
 1852 Charles Macgibbon 
 
 
 1807 Archibald M'Kinlay 
 
 1853 George Eliza Russell 
 
 
 1808 Alexander Bonar 
 
 1854 Robeit Walker 
 
 
 1809 James Carfrae 
 1810 William Creech 
 
 1855 James Craig 
 1856 Charles Lawson, sen. 
 
 
 I8ll Samuel Anderson 
 
 1857 James Richardson 
 
 
 1812 Andrew Bonar 
 
 1858 Robert Chambers 
 
 
 1813 George White 
 
 1859 Charles Cowan 
 
 
 1814 Sir John Hay, Bart. 
 1815 William Ramsay 
 
 1860 George Lorimer 
 I86l Charles Lawson, sen. 
 
 
 * Eledled 5th March 1827, in room of Mr Henderson, deceased. 
 
Appendix. 
 
 xxvii 
 
 No. V. TREASURERS of the Merchant 
 
 
 Company since 1 68 i . 
 
 
 For many years past, the Treasurer has remained in office for more than one year. 
 
 
 1681 Thomas Young 
 
 1735 Walter' Hog 
 
 Treasurers 
 
 i68z Robert Blackwood 
 
 1738 William Gellatly 
 
 
 1683 Thomas Fisher 
 
 1741 James Allan 
 
 
 1684 Bailie W. Montgomery 
 
 1744 Alexander Scott 
 
 
 1685 William Menzies 
 
 1747 Robert Lithgow 
 
 
 1686 Robert Blackwood 
 
 1750 James Napier 
 
 
 1687 Colin Lauder 
 
 1751 Allan Beg 
 
 
 1688 Hugh Cunningham 
 1689 Patrick Johnston 
 
 1754 George Dunsmuir 
 1757 William Bailie 
 
 
 1690 George Warrender 
 
 1761 Claud Inglis 
 
 
 1691 Walter Cheislie 
 1691 William Blackwood 
 
 1764 William Galloway 
 1766 Robert Russell 
 
 
 1693 John Duncan 
 
 1769 William Burn 
 
 
 1694 John Hay 
 
 1775 William Smith 
 
 
 1695 David Forrest 
 
 1778 Alex. Brown, jun. 
 
 
 1696 Robert Tod and W. Lamb 
 
 1781 John Lothian 
 
 
 1697 Robert Hunter 
 
 1784 Malcolm Wright 
 
 
 1698 Francis Brodie 
 
 1787 David Bridges 
 
 
 1699 James Blackwood 
 
 1790 Walter Lothian 
 
 
 1701 Charles Gray 
 I7oz John Tait 
 
 1793 Thomas Hutchison 
 1796 Alexander Wallace 
 
 
 1703 John Weir 
 
 1799 George White 
 
 
 1704 John Osburne. 
 
 I8oz George Brunton 
 
 
 1705 William Robertson e 
 1706 John Seivwright 
 
 1805 Robert Kerr 
 1808 Adam Freer 
 
 
 1707 Andrew Dunnet 
 
 1 81 1 Robert Plenderleath 
 
 
 1708 Captain Thomas Dundass 
 1709 Andrew Thomson 
 
 1814 William Phin 
 1817 Thomas Blackwood 
 
 
 1710 James Galloway 
 
 I8zo William Calder 
 
 
 Robert Goldie 
 
 1823 William Braidwood, jun. 
 
 
 1711 Alexander Lawson 
 
 i8z6 Peter Lamond 
 
 
 I7iz Patrick M'Donall 
 
 iSzg Andrew Scott 
 
 
 1713 Francis Neutoun 
 
 1831 James Gifford 
 
 
 1714 Robert Todd 
 
 1833 William Renton 
 
 
 1715 Robert Marshall 
 
 1835 Alexander Jamieson 
 
 
 1716 William Gumming 
 
 1838 William Whitehead 
 
 
 1717 John Parkhill 
 
 1841 James Ritchie 
 
 
 1718 Charles Stewart 
 
 1844 Thomas Sibbald 
 
 
 1719 William Hutton 
 
 1847 James Wilson 
 
 
 17*1 John Parkhill 
 
 1850 Robert Walker 
 
 
 1714 Thomas Young 
 17*7 David Russell 
 
 1853 George Ritchie 
 1856 James Richardson 
 
 
 17x8 Thomas Young 
 
 1857 Robert Chambers 
 
 
 1730 William Tod 
 
 1858 John Moinet 
 
 
 1733 Thomas Newton 
 
 1861 John Menzies 
 
 
XXV111 
 
 Royal 
 
 Charter 
 
 1777 
 
 Appendix. 
 
 No. V. Copy of CHARTER by George III., 
 dated 1777. 
 
 GEORGE, by the Grace of God, King of Great Britain, France, and 
 Ireland, Defender of the Faith, To all to whom these presents shall 
 come, greeting : Whereas, His Majesty King Charles the Second was 
 graciously pleased, by Charter and Letters Patent under the Great Seal 
 of that part of Great Britain called Scotland, dated the nineteenth day 
 of October Sixteen hundred and eighty-one, to erect: and incorporate 
 the whole then present Merchants, Burgesses, and Guild Brethren of 
 the City of Edinburgh, who were importers or sellers of cloth stuff or 
 other merchandise for the apparel or wear of the bodies of Men or 
 Women, for themselves and their successors in the said trade in all time 
 coming, into a Society and Company to be designed and called The 
 Company of Merchants of the City of Edinburgh, which Charter is in 
 the words and terms following : 
 
 [Here follows verbatim copy of first Charter by Charles II., which is printed 
 in full at page 8.] 
 
 And whereas the said Merchant Company of the said City of Edin- 
 burgh have, by their humble Petition to us, represented that by their 
 Charter above recited, the fees for admission and entry of Burgesses and 
 Guild Brethren are ascertained to be Six Pounds Scots money (or ten 
 shillings sterling), for each Member, with the sum of Six Shillings 
 Scots (or Sixpence sterling) quarterly thereafter, so long as they exer- 
 cise their Trade, and power is given to the Master and Assistants to 
 exact and uplift the said entry fees and quarterly payments, and to exact 
 and uplift from every apprentice entering to be an apprentice to any 
 Member of the said Society, Three Pounds Scots at his said entry, 
 which sums are by the said Charter directed to be paid into the common 
 
 Treasurer 
 
Appendix. 
 
 XXIX 
 
 Treasurer or Master of the common box of the said Company, and to 
 be managed and disbursed by the said Master and Assistants for the 
 good and utility of the said Company, and for the relief and supply of 
 such of their Members as might happen to fail and decay, and of their 
 indigent Widows and Orphans : and the said Petition states that the 
 said Merchant Company of the City of Edinburgh being thus erected 
 into a Society, consisting of Merchants in different circumstances in 
 life, and liable to the accidents and misfortunes attending the Mercan- 
 tile Business, it was easy to foresee that some of their Members might 
 soon fall into poverty and become objects of charity: Therefore, in 
 order to provide for that event, the Company raised considerable sums 
 of money by voluntary donations and contributions, and that from these 
 contributions, with the aid of other charitable disposed persons, two 
 Hospitals were founded in the City, one for Girls, the other for Boys, 
 whereby suitable provision was made for the youth of both sexes be- 
 longing to the Company : That the Company, at the same time that 
 they provided for their youth, did not neglect their indigent and aged, 
 having made provision for them also, according to their ability : But 
 as the Company is now become numerous, and the numbers of their 
 poor are also greatly increased, especially of late years, the Company's 
 small Income is not now sufficient to answer the urgent necessities of 
 their aged and indigent Members, and of their Widows and Orphans: 
 That the Company, and the Master and Assistants, having taken these 
 particulars under their consideration, came to a resolution that a volun- 
 tary Contribution should be made among themselves, and that the fees 
 of entry and admission of Members should be augmented, but that 
 this last could not be effectuated without Our Royal permission and 
 authority : The Petition therefore prays, that in addition to their pre- 
 sent Charter, We would be most graciously pleased, by Our Letters 
 Patent under the Great Seal of Scotland, to authorise and empower the 
 Master and Assistants of the said Merchant Company of the City of 
 Edinburgh, in all time coming, to demand and levy from each person 
 at his entry into the Company, Six Pounds sterling money of Great 
 
 Britain, 
 
 Royal 
 
 Charter 
 
 1777 
 
XXX 
 
 Appendix. 
 
 Royal 
 Charter 
 
 1777 
 
 Jritain, as the fees of his admission, and Six shillings like money an- 
 nually thereafter, in place of the Entry-money and Quarterly f ees P av ~ 
 ble to the Company by the Charter above recited, as the said Petition 
 n itself more fully bears: And We having taken the said Petition and 
 equest into our Royal consideration, and being satisfied that the same 
 s reasonable and proper: Know ye therefore that We, from our 
 jrincely propensity to encourage and promote the charitable purposes 
 ntended by the said Merchant Company, and to render their funds 
 more adequate thereto, of Our special grace, certain knowledge, and 
 mere motion, have constituted, appointed, ordained, and granted, and 
 by these presents for Us, and our Royal heirs and successors, do consti- 
 tute, appoint, ordain, and grant unto the present Master and Assistants 
 of the said Company, called the Company of Merchants of the City of 
 Edinburgh, and their successors, that instead of the fees of Entry and 
 admission of Members and Quarterly fees directed to be paid and taken 
 by the original Charter above recited, there shall be levied and de- 
 manded in all time coming, subsequent to the date hereof, the fees fol- 
 lowing, viz., The sum of Six pounds sterling, from each person at his 
 entry into the Company, as the fees of his admission, and Six Shil- 
 lings sterling annually thereafter, from each Member of the Company, 
 which sum of Six shillings sterling shall be annually paid and levied by 
 and from each Member of the said Merchant Company, as well those 
 who may be admitted into the same, posterior and subsequent to the 
 date of these presents, as the present Members thereof who have been 
 entered and admitted before the date of these Our Letters Patent, 
 which said fees of Entry and admission of Members, and Annual fees 
 above mentioned, hereby directed to be paid and taken in all time 
 coming, shall be levied, paid, managed, and applied in the manner 
 mentioned and appointed by the original Charter above recited : And 
 it is Our Royal will and pleasure that the said Charter above recited 
 granted by His Majesty King Charles the Second to the said Com- 
 pany of Merchants of the said City of Edinburgh, dated the nineteenth 
 day of October Sixteen hundred and eighty-one, be, and the same i 
 
 herebv 
 
Appendix. 
 
 hereby ratified, approved, and confirmed in the whole heads, articles, 
 clauses, tenor, and contents thereof, excepting in so far as the same is 
 herein, and by these our Letters Patent, altered : And further, Our 
 will and pleasure is, and We do hereby for Us, Our heirs and succes- 
 sors, grant unto the said Master and Assistants of the said Company of 
 Merchants of the City of Edinburgh and their successors : That as well 
 these Our Letters Patent, as the original Charter or Letters Patent 
 before recited (so far as the same is not hereby altered), or the Inrol- 
 ment or Exemplification of the same, shall be and continue in and by 
 all things a good and sufficient Charter and Charters of Incorporation, 
 and firm, valid, and effectual Grant or Grants in the Law of all and 
 singular the franchises, immunities, privileges, liberties, and advan- 
 tages therein and hereby granted or mentioned, or intended to be 
 granted to them as aforesaid, and shall be so allowed, construed, and 
 adjudged, in all Courts of judicature and other places, of Us, Out heirs 
 and successors, and by all judges, justices, and other officers and minis- 
 ters of Us, Our heirs and successors, notwithstanding the not fully and 
 perfectly reciting or misreciting of the said original Letters Patent, or 
 of any clause or matter therein or herein contained, and notwithstand- 
 ing any ad, matter, or thing by them, the said Master and Assistants 
 of the Merchant Company aforesaid, done or committed, which 
 might in anywise be adjudged or construed to tend to the forfeiting of 
 the said original Charter, or of these Letters Patent, or of any privi- 
 leges or immunities therein and herein contained : In witness whereof, 
 We have ordered our Seal, kept in Scotland, in place of the Great Seal 
 of that Kingdom, to be appended hereunto : Given at our Court of St 
 James's, i6th August 1777, and of the I7th year of our Reign. 
 
 Superscribed by the sign manual of our Sovereign Lord the King, 
 and Sealed at Edinburgh the z6th day of September 1717 (Signed) 
 Ro. Meikle, Subs. 
 
 . Written to the Seal and Registered the z6th day of September 
 
 1777. (Signed) Thomas Miller, Subt. 
 
 No. VI. 
 
 XXXI 
 
 Royal 
 Charter 
 
 1777 
 
XXX11 
 
 Parliament 
 1798 
 
 Appendix. 
 
 No. VI. AN ACT for enlarging the Powers 
 of the Company of Merchants of the 
 City of Edinburgh, 5th April 1798. 
 
 WHEREAS His Majesty King Charles the Second was graciously 
 pleased, by Charter and Letters Patent under the Great Seal of that 
 Part of Great Britain called Scotland, dated the Nineteenth day of 
 October One Thousand Six Hundred and Eighty-one, to erect and in- 
 corporate the Whole then present Merchants, Burgesses, and Guild 
 Brethren of the City of Edinburgh, who were Importers or Sellers of 
 Cloth, Stuff, or other Merchandize for the Apparel or Wear of the 
 Bodies of Men or Women, for themselves and their Successors in the 
 said Trade in all Time coming, into a Society and Company to be de- 
 signed and called " The Company of Merchants of the City of Edin- 
 burgh ; " by which Charter the said Company of Merchants of the 
 City of Edinburgh were, amongst other Powers thereby granted, 
 authorised and empowered in Manner therein particularly specified, to 
 nominate and elect Annually a Master with Twelve Assistants, where- 
 of Seven were to be a Quorum, with Treasurer, Clerk, and Officer, 
 from Time to Time, the said Master and Assistants being all actual 
 Merchants exercising the said Trade, and to continue in the Offices 
 aforesaid until the First Monday of September in each Year, and upon 
 the said Day if lawful, and failing thereof the next lawful Day there- 
 after, of new to nominate and elect in like Manner a Master, Assist- 
 ants, and Treasurer, in Place of the former, for the year ensuing, and 
 so forth from Year to Year in all Time coming ; and the said Clerk 
 and Officer to continue during Pleasure : And whereas the said Com- 
 pany are thereby authorised to levy from all Persons being Burgesses 
 and Guild Brethren of the said City, proposing to enter as Members of 
 the said Society or Company, a certain Sum of Money, being Six 
 
 Pounds 
 
Appendl 
 
 IX. 
 
 XXXlll 
 
 Pounds Scots, at their Entry, with the Sum of Six Shillings Scots 
 Quarterly thereafter 5 which sums of Money were to be paid to the 
 Common Treasurer of the said Company, and to be managed and dis- 
 bursed by the Master and Assistants for the Good and Utility of the 
 said Company, and for the Relief and Supply of such of their Members 
 as may happen to fail and decay, and of their indigent Widows and 
 Orphans, the said Master and Assistants being always accountable to 
 the Body of the said Company for their Administration ; which Charter 
 and Letters Patent were, by an Acl: passed by the Parliament of Scot- 
 land, on the Fifteenth Day of June One Thousand Six Hundred and 
 Ninety-three, ratified, approved, and confirmed in all Points : And 
 whereas the said Company did thereafter, and from Time to Time, 
 raise considerable Sums of Money by Voluntary Donations and Contri- 
 butions, from which, and the Aid of other charitably disposed Persons, 
 they established Two Hospitals in the said City, one for the Reception 
 of Girls, the other for Boys, after they have severally attained the Age 
 of Seven Years, whereby suitable Provision was made for the Educa- 
 tion and Support of the Youth of both Sexes after that Period of Life: 
 And whereas the Company having become numerous, and the Numbers 
 of their Poor greatly increased, the small Revenue above-mentioned 
 was found to be insufficient to provide for the urgent Necessities of 
 their aged and indigent Members, and of their Widows, and Orphans 
 under Seven Years of Age j His present Majesty was graciously pleased, 
 by His Royal Charter or Letters Patent under the Seal appointed by 
 the Treaty of Union to be kept and used in Scotland in place of the 
 Great Seal formerly used there, bearing Date the Sixteenth Day of 
 August One Thousand Seven Hundred and Seventy-seven, to authorize 
 and ordain the Master and Assistants of the said Company and their 
 Successors, instead of the Fees of Entry and Quarterly Fees directed to 
 be paid and taken by the Charter first above recited, to exact, levy, 
 and demand in all time coming, the Sum of Six Pounds Sterling from 
 each Person at his Entry into the Company as the Fees of Admission, 
 and Six Shillings Sterling thereafter annually from each Member of 
 
 the 
 
 Pailiament 
 1798 
 
XXXIV 
 
 Affendix. 
 
 Aft of 
 
 Parliament 
 
 1798 
 
 the said Company; such Sums to be managed and applied in the 
 manner mentioned and appointed by the original Charter above 
 recited : And whereas from the great Increase of the said City, and of 
 the Persons entering with the said Company and becoming Members 
 thereof, a very large Addition has been made to the Number of Per- 
 sons entitled to receive Assistance from the Funds of the Society, 
 which these Funds are not able to answer j and the Insufficiency 
 daily increasing, so that the Company must be under the Necessity of 
 diminishing the small Pensions which they have been in the Use to 
 give to their poor or decayed Members, and to their Widows, for a long 
 Time past, whilst the Necessaries of Life have greatly increased in 
 Price, unless the above-mentioned Dues or Fees are still further aug- 
 mented : And whereas, to render the said Charitable Fund adequate to 
 its Purposes, and effectual for the Relief and Support of the decayed 
 Members, their Widows and Orphans, and for establishing a permanent 
 Fund for these purposes, further Powers are necessary, which cannot 
 be obtained without the Aid of Parliament : May it therefore please 
 Your Majesty, that it may be enacted, and be it enacted by the King's 
 Most Excellent Majesty, by and with the Advice and Consent of the 
 Lords Spiritual and Temporal, and Commons, in this present Parlia- 
 ment assembled, and by the Authority of the same, That the said Two 
 Charters and Act of the Parliament of Scotland above recited, and all 
 the Regulations, Ordinances and Appointments in all or either of them 
 contained, and all the Proceedings had in consequence thereof, agree- 
 able to the Terms of the said Charters and Act, shall be and are here- 
 by confirmed in so far as the same are not altered by this present Act 
 in the Manner hereinafter mentioned. 
 
 II. And be it further enacted, That, from and after the passing of 
 this Act, the said Company of Merchants of the City of Edinburgh 
 shall and may, by their Masters and Assistants and their Successors in 
 Office, exact, levy, and demand the Sum of Twelve Pounds sterling from 
 each Person at his Entry into the Company as the Fees of his Admis- 
 sion, and Nine Shillings Sterling Annually thereafter from each Mem- 
 ber 
 
Appendix. 
 
 XXXV 
 
 her of the Company; which Sum of Nine Shillings sterling shall be An- 
 nually paid and levied by and from each Member of the said Company 
 of Merchants, as well as those who may be admitted into the same 
 subsequent to the passing of this Act, as the present Members thereof 
 who have been entered and admitted previous thereto 5 which said 
 Fees of Entry, on Admission of Members, and Annual Fees above- 
 mentioned hereby directed to be paid and taken, shall be levied, ma- 
 naged, and applied in the Manner mentioned and appointed by the 
 Charter first above recited, ratified, approved, and confirmed by the 
 above-mentioned Acl: of the Parliament of Scotland in the Year One 
 Thousand Six Hundred and Ninety-three, and by the Charter granted 
 by His present Majesty of Date the Sixteenth Day of August One 
 Thousand Seven Hundred and Seventy-seven. 
 
 III. Provided always, and be it enacted, That such Person or Persons 
 as have according to the Usage and Custom of the said Company paid 
 a Sum certain, as an Equivalent for the Annual Dues or Fees when 
 such Dues or Fees were Six Shillings sterling per Annum, or any other 
 or less sum, shall, after the passing of this Aft, be liable in and com- 
 pelled to pay such Annual Sum only as may be equal to the Difference 
 between the Annual Payments so purchased by such Person or Persons, 
 and the aforesaid Annual Payment of Nine Shillings sterling hereby in 
 future appointed to be levied ; any Thing herein contained to the con- 
 trary notwithstanding. 
 
 IV. And whereas it hath been found by Experience that many 
 persons entitled to be admitted into the said Company of Merchants, and 
 coming under the Meaning and Description of the Charter first above 
 recited, have carried on Business for many Years in the said City of 
 Edinburgh, without claiming to be admitted, or entering with the said 
 Company, and have, at an advanced period of Life, claimed Admission, 
 on Payment of the usual Entry Money, whereby they and their 
 Widows and Children become immediately entitled to the whole Rights, 
 Privileges, and Benefits accruing from the Hospitals and Charitable 
 Funds of the said Company, equally with those who have entered early 
 
 in 
 
 Aft of 
 
 Parliament 
 
 1798 
 
XXXVI 
 
 Aft of 
 
 Parliament 
 
 1798 
 
 Appendix. 
 
 in Life, and on commencing Business and who have annually and 
 regularly contributed to the Fund; which practice is productive of much 
 Injustice, and is unfair and unequal : Be it therefore enacted, That 
 when any Person, coming within the Meaning and Description of the 
 Chatters and Act above recited, and entitled to Admission into the said 
 Company of Merchants, shall permit Two complete years to elapse from 
 the Day of commencing Business within the said City, and being thereby 
 entitled to Admission as aforesaid, without claiming to be admitted a 
 Member of the said Company, such Person shall, on becoming a Mem- 
 ber of the said Company, pay an additional Rate of One Pound Ten 
 Shillings sterling for each Year subsequent to the aforesaid Two Years, 
 and preceding his Admission into the said Company; and that over and 
 above the aforesaid Sum of Twelve Pounds sterling of Entry Money, 
 and Nine Shillings sterling Annually thereafter, to be paid and levied 
 as aforesaid, at which Persons commencing Business in the City of 
 Edinburgh, or within Two Years thereafter, may claim to be admitted 
 Members of the said Company. 
 
 V. And whereas it hath been the Practice of the said Company to 
 admit as Members, and to the Benefits, Rights, and Privileges arising 
 therefrom, Persons who do not exactly fall within the Description of 
 Sellers or Importers of Cloths, Stuffs, or other Merchandize for the 
 Apparel or Wear of the Bodies of Men or Women, but Bankers and 
 others, who are Merchants, Burgesses, and Guild Brethren, or en- 
 titled to be chosen Merchant-Councillors or Magistrates of the City 
 of Edinburgh : And whereas the Funds of the said Company have 
 thereby been much benefited, and the charitable Purposes thereby pro- 
 vided for, very materially promoted, and it is therefore expedient that 
 the above-mentioned Practice should, under suitable Regulations, be 
 continued : Be it therefore enacted, That from and after the passing of 
 this Act, it shall and may be lawful for the said Company of Merchants, 
 by their Master and Assistants, and their Successors in Office, to admit 
 all Persons being Merchants, Burgesses, and Guild Brothers, or entitled 
 to be chosen Merchant-Councillors or Magistrates of the City of Edin- 
 burgh, 
 
Appendix. 
 
 xxxvn 
 
 burgh, as Members of the said Company, and to all the Benefits, Pri- 
 vileges, and Immunities thence arising, who voluntarily apply to and 
 desire to be so admitted, each Person paying, in Name of Entry Money 
 and as a Composition for Annual Dues, such Sum, not less than 
 Twenty-five Pounds sterling, as the said Company shall in the Circum- 
 stances of each particular Case deem adequate and reasonable. 
 
 VI. Provided always, and be it enacted, That nothing in this Act con- 
 tained shall confer, or be construed to confer any Right or Power to 
 the said Company to compel any Person or Persons whomsoever to 
 enter or become Members of the said Company. 
 
 VII. And be it further enacted, That the Charges and Expenses 
 of obtaining this Act shall be paid and defrayed out of the Funds of the 
 said Company. 
 
 VIII. And it is hereby further enacted and declared, That this Act 
 shall be deemed and taken to be a Public Act j and all Judges, 
 Justices, and other Persons, are to take Notice thereof as such in all 
 Courts and Places whatsoever, without specially pleading the same. 
 
 No. VII. 
 
 Parliament 
 1798 
 
XXXV111 
 
 Appendix. 
 
 Parliament 
 18x7 
 
 No. VII. ANALYSIS of an Act to Amend an 
 Act for enlarging the Powers of the Com- 
 pany of Merchants of the City of Edin- 
 burgh. Passed 28th May 1827. 
 
 I. PREAMBLE narrating and confirming 
 
 (i.) Charter of Incorporation under the Great Seal of Scot- 
 land, 1 68 1. 
 
 (2.) Aft of the Parliament of Scotland, 1693, confirming the 
 Charter. 
 
 (3.) Royal Charter or Letters Patent, 1 6th August 1777, and 
 
 (4.) Aft of 5th April 1798. 
 
 II. Entry-fee fixed at 63, and that whether the Entrants shall be- 
 long to the description of persons mentioned in the said original Charter, 
 or to the description of persons mentioned in the before-recited Aft of 
 the thirty-eighth year of the reign of his said late Majesty. 
 
 III. Fees, payable by persons entering into the Company after hav- 
 ing commenced business a certain time, increased. 
 
 IV. Widows' Fund to be established, and contributors called "The 
 Contributors to the Widows' Fund of the Company of Merchants of the 
 City of Edinburgh," and shall have the powers and privileges hereinafter 
 mentioned. 
 
 V. Certain portion of Company's stock to be transferred to the 
 Widows' Fund. 
 
 VI. Forty-two pounds, out of the said sum of sixty-three pounds of 
 entry-money, to be paid to Widows' Fund. 
 
 VII. Contributions to the Widows' Fund and rates to be paid by 
 contributors, Members of the Company, prior to the passing of this Aft. 
 
 VIII. That every person who shall be admitted a Member of the 
 
 said 
 
Appendix. 
 
 XXXIX 
 
 said Company at any time after the passing of this Aft, shall pay to the 
 Collector of the said Widows' Fund for the purposes thereof, the sum 
 of ten pounds ten shillings sterling yearly, for and during the space 
 of six years after his admission, and that at two terms in the year. 
 
 IX. Contributor dying, leaving a widow, before completing payment 
 of annual rates, deficiency to be retained out of widow's annuity j and 
 if any contributor shall die, leaving no widow, the annual contributions 
 for the said unexpired term shall cease and be no longer exigible. 
 
 X. Power given to redeem annual contributions, on payment of 50. 
 XL Equalising rate to be paid in case of contributor's age exceeding 
 
 that of his wife six years. Contributors, Members of the Company, prior 
 to passing of this Aft, to pay 1, IQJ. for each year of excess above the 
 first five. 
 
 XII. Contributors not entered with the Company till after the date 
 of this Aft, to pay 2, IDS. for each year of excess above first five. Tax 
 to be payable for second marriages. 
 
 XIII. Contributors to lodge note of their own age and of that of 
 their wives. Penalty in the event of any contributor dying before in- 
 timating his marriage. 
 
 XIV. All contributions to bear legal interest j and penalties not to be 
 modified. 
 
 XV. Contributors failing or neglefting to pay contributions for 
 twelve months after same become due, to forfeit 10 per cent. Con- 
 tributor allowing contributions to fall into arrear for three years, to for- 
 feit all benefit in the Widows' Fund, unless reinstated by general meet- 
 ing of contributors. Contributor dying, leaving arrears, Widow's 
 annuity to be deferred till these paid up. But power given to trustees 
 to modify and fix term of payment of such arrears. 
 
 XVI. The Capital Stock now belonging in property to the said 
 Company of Merchants, which shall remain afterpayment or transfer 
 to the Trustees of the Widows' Fund, of the sums of money which are 
 appointed to be paid and transferred in manner hereinbefore mentioned, 
 and the sums of money which may be hereafter received by the said 
 
 Company, 
 
 Aft of 
 Parliament 
 
xl 
 
 Aft of 
 
 Parliament 
 
 1827 
 
 Company, in name of admission fees, or otherwise, after payment to 
 the Collector of the Widows' Fund, of the sums of money appointed to 
 be paid out of the same, as aforesaid, shall continue and be vested in 
 the said Company, and shall be applicable towards the good and utility 
 of the said Company, and in and towards payment of the allowances or 
 annuities which now ate or may be hereafter made or provided to the 
 indigent widows of the Members of the said Company, who may have 
 died before the passing of this At, and of the allowances or annuities 
 which may be hereafter made or provided to the indigent widows of 
 such of the present Members as may not become contributors to the 
 Widows' Fund established by this Act, and shall also be applicable in 
 and towards payment of the allowances or annuities made and provided, 
 or that may be made and provided, to the present or future Members 
 of the said Company, who now are in, or may hereafter fall into indi- 
 gent and decayed circumstances, and towards payment of the expenses 
 of management of the said remaining fund, and to any other purposes 
 to which the funds and capital stock of the said Company, with the in- 
 terest and profits thereon, may be lawfully paid and applied, in terms of 
 the hereinbefore recited Charters and Adls of Parliament, and accord- 
 ing to the lawful usages of the said Company : Provided always, that 
 no widow, entitled to the benefit of the Widows' Fund, to be established 
 under the provisions of this Aft, shall be entitled to any annuity or 
 allowance out of the said General Fund of the said Company. 
 
 XVII. Sums contributed towards Widows' Fund to be vested in 
 trustees, 1st, For payment of expense of management ; zndly, For pro- 
 vision and payment of annuities to widows. 
 
 XVIII. Power to admit Members to benefit of fund, who may have 
 been admitted into the said Company prior to the passing of this Aft, 
 but who may have failed to declare his resolution to become a contri- 
 butor to the said Widows' Fund on or before the first Monday of 
 September 1827. 
 
 XIX. There shall be paid out of the said Widows' Fund, to the 
 widow of every Member of the said Company who may have contri- 
 buted, 
 
Appendix. 
 
 xli 
 
 buted to the said Fund, and who at the time of his death may have an 
 interest therein, and be entitled to the benefit thereof for his widow, in 
 terms of the provisions before expressed, a free annuity of twenty-five 
 pounds sterling, and that at two terms in the year, Whitsunday and 
 Martinmas, by equal portions, beginning the first term's payment thereof 
 at the first of these terms after her husband's death, for a proportion of 
 the said annuity corresponding to the time from the death of the hus- 
 band to the said first term of payment, and the next's term's payment 
 for the half year preceding, at the first term of Whitsunday or Martin- 
 mas thereafter, and so forth yearly, termly and proportionally during all 
 the days of her life. 
 
 XX. No widow to draw more than one annuity at one time. 
 
 XXI. Periodical investigations to be made of state of Widows' Fund. 
 And as to increase of annuities. 
 
 XXII. Power to diminish widows' annuities in certain event. 
 
 XXIII. And be it further enacted, That in case it shall appear, 
 upon any such investigation as aforesaid, that the said Widows' Fund is 
 inadequate to the provision of the annuities charged, and that may be- 
 come charged thereon, then, and in that case, it shall and may be lawful 
 to the Members of the said Company, at a general meeting called as 
 aforesaid, at which not less than thiry-two Members shall be present, to 
 appropriate such sum from the General Fund of the Company, in aid of 
 the said Widows' Fund, as three-fourths of the Members present at such 
 general meeting may think fit and reasonable. 
 
 XXIV. And be it further enacted* That if at any time it shall be 
 deemed expedient by the said Company of Merchants to make a further 
 provision for their widows or decayed Members, upon the principles be- 
 fore expressed, by additional contributions from such of the then existing 
 Members as may be willing to contribute for these purposes, or either of 
 them, and by increasing the entry-money and the annual contributions 
 to be levied from the persons who may be thereafter admitted Members 
 of the said Company, or by either of these means j and if three-fourths 
 of the Members of the said Company present at a general meeting, 
 
 specially 
 
 Act of 
 Parliament 
 
xlii 
 
 Appendix. 
 
 Parliament 
 1827 
 
 pecially called for the purpose, shall be of opinion that it is fit and pro- 
 >er to make such additional provision, then it shall and may be lawful 
 :o three-fourths of the Members present at another general meeting, to 
 )e called for the purpose, at the distance of not less than two months 
 rom the said first meeting, at which last meeting not less than thirty- 
 two Members shall be present ; and, upon the report of a person or per- 
 sons, experienced in the calculation of the value of annuities, to fix and 
 modify the rate of the increased annuity to be allowed to the widows, 
 and the sums of money to be levied from the contributors to the said 
 Widows' Fund, which may be considered adequate to the provision of 
 the said additional annuities to the widows, and the sums of money 
 which it may be thought expedient to levy from the Members of the 
 said Company, for the purpose of increasing the allowances to the Mem- 
 bers in decayed or indigent circumstances: provided always, that it shall 
 be optional to the contributors to the Widows' Fund, existing at the 
 time of such resolution, either to pay the additional contributions, and 
 acquire right to the additional annuities, for their widows, or to remain 
 on the former footing: provided always, that it shall not be competent 
 to, nor in the power of the said Company, at any time to raise the 
 entry-money and contributions of the persons applying to be admitted 
 Members of the said Company to a greater extent, upon the whole, 
 than double the amount hereinbefore authorized to be exacted. 
 
 XXV. Rate of annuity to continue until altered. 
 
 XXVI. Annuities not to be assignable nor attachable by creditors, 
 nor subject to the jus mariti of any husband whom a widow may after- 
 wards marry, or be liable to his debts or deeds, but the same shall be 
 payable to each widow entitled to the same, upon her own receipt, not- 
 withstanding such arrestment, attachment, or marriage. 
 
 XXVII. Contributors being married, may declare the annuity to be 
 in part of the provision otherwise made for their wives. 
 
 XXVIII. Trustees to be chosen at a meeting of contributors 
 Master and Old Master, if contributors, to be Trustees of the said Widows 
 Fund, who shall be called and denominated " The Trustees of the 
 
 Widows 
 
Appendix. 
 
 xliii 
 
 Widows' Fund of the Company of Merchants of the City of Edinburgh j" 
 and any three of the said Trustees shall be a quorum. 
 
 XXIX. Seniority among Trustees how fixed ; Trustees to go out by 
 rotation j one new Trustee to be chosen annually. Trustees going out 
 may be re-elected, after being one year out of office. 
 
 XXX. Trustees to hold three stated meeting annually ; and besides 
 the above stated meetings, the said Trustees shall hold such occasional 
 meetings as circumstances may require. 
 
 XXXI. And be it enacted, That at all meetings of contributors to the 
 said Widows' Fund the Master of the said Company, if a contributor, 
 and in his absence the Old Master, if a contributor, and in the absence 
 of both, the senior Trustee present shall be the Preses of such meeting, 
 and such Preses shall have both a deliberative and a casting vote. 
 
 XXXII. Mode in which rights and securities are to be taken to 
 Trustees. 
 
 XXXIII. Mode in which moneys belonging to Widows' Fund are to 
 be invested. 
 
 XXXIV. Trustees may sue or be sued in person of Collector. 
 
 XXXV. ACollector to be appointed. 
 
 XXXVI. Collector may be suspended. 
 
 XXXVII. Collector to make up a state of the arrears. 
 
 XXXVIII. Collector to give security. 
 
 XXXIX. Collector's salary or allowance how to be fixed. 
 
 XL. Collector to deposit the money in a bank or banking-house to 
 be named by the Trustees. 
 
 XLI. Trustees to be liable for intromissions only, and to be reim- 
 bursed of all necessary expenses. 
 
 XLII. Power to contributors to make rules and regulations. 
 
 XLIII. And whereas the said Company of Merchants are by the 
 original Charter, or Letters Patent hereinbefore recited, under which the 
 Company are incorporated, specially empowered to meet annually on 
 the first Monday of September, for the purpose of electing a Master 
 and twelve Assistants, whereof seven are thereby declared to be a 
 
 quorum, 
 
 A6tof 
 
 Parliament 
 
 i8zy 
 
xliv 
 
 Parliament 
 1827 
 
 Appendix. 
 
 quorum, with Treasurer, Clerk, and Officer ; but no special power is 
 given to the said Company to supply any vacancy or vacancies which 
 may occur among any of the foresaid office-bearers, by death, resig- 
 nation or otherwise : And whereas it has been found from experience, 
 that a quorum composed of seven of the said Master and Assistants is 
 inconveniently large for the due despatch of business, be it therefore 
 enacted, That in the event of a vacancy occurring at any time among 
 the said Master and Assistants, or other dffice-bearers aforesaid, it shall 
 be lawful and competent to the Members of the said Company, and 
 they are hereby required to elect another person to supply such vacancy, 
 either at the next stated meeting of the Company, or at a general meet- 
 ing of the Company to be called for the purpose, and to be held within 
 one month after the death or resignation of the said Master, Assistant, 
 or other office-bearer aforesaid ; and it is further declared, that at all 
 meetings of the Master and Assistants of the said Company, and at all 
 general meetings of the Company requiring a quorum of the Master 
 and Assistants to be present thereat, to be held after the passing of this 
 Act, any five of the said Master and Assistants present at such meetings 
 shall form a quorum; and in the case of all meetings of the said Master 
 and Assistants such quorum shall have full power to discharge all the 
 ordinary business falling under the administration of the said Master 
 and Assistants. 
 
 XLIV. Preses of all Meetings, whether of the Company or of the 
 Master and Assistants, to have both a deliberative and a casting vote. 
 
 XLV. Company not to compel any person to enter. 
 
 XLVI. Expense of Act how to be defrayed. 
 
 XL VII. That this Act shall be deemed and taken to be a public 
 Act, and shall he judicially taken notice of as such, by all judges, 
 justices, and others, without being specially pleaded. 
 
 No. VIII. 
 
Appendix. 
 
 xlv 
 
 No. VIII. LINEAGE of Sir George War- 
 render of Lochend, Treasurer of the 
 Merchant Company in 1690. 
 
 [From Burke*; Peerage and Baronetage."} 
 
 I. GEORGE WARRENDER, Esq. of Lochend, an eminent Merchant 
 of Edinburgh, having filled the office of Lord-Provost of that city in the 
 reigns of King William, Queen Anne, and King George I., was cre- 
 ated a Baronet by the latter monarch, for his zealous loyalty, 2nd June 
 171 5> from which year he represented the Scottish metropolis in Parlia- 
 ment until the period of his decease. Sir George married, 1st, Margaret 
 Lawrie, by whom he had an only son, JOHN, his successor. He married, 
 zndly, Grisell, daughter of Hugh Blair, Esq., a Merchant and Magistrate 
 of Edinburgh. Sir George was succeeded by the son of his ist wife, 
 
 II. SIR JOHN, who married, in 1720, Henrietta, daughter of Sir 
 Patrick Johnston. Sir John, dying in 1773, was succeeded by his only 
 surviving son, 
 
 III. SIR PATRICK, born 7th March 1731 ; a cavalry officer of rank 
 at the battle of Minden, and M.P. for the burghs of Haddington, Dun- 
 bar, &c. Married, in 1780, Miss Blair. Sir Patrick was King's Re- 
 membrancer in the Court of Exchequer. He died in 1799, and was 
 succeeded by, 
 
 IV. SIR GEORGE, born 5th December 17825 married, 1810, Anne, 
 youngest daughter of George-Evelyn, third Viscount Falmouth. Sir 
 George died in 1849, and was succeeded by his brother, 
 
 V. SIR JOHN, born in 17865 an officer in the foot guards} married, 
 1st, Lady Juliana- Jane Maitland, daughter of the Earl of Lauderdale 5 
 and, 2ndly, the Hon. Frances-Henrietta Arden, sister of Lord Alvanley. 
 
 No. IX. 
 
 Lineage of Sir 
 G. Warrender 
 
xlvi 
 
 Appendix. 
 
 Report of 
 Conversa- 
 zione, 1862 
 
 No. IX. REPORT of Conversazione, at which 
 Mr K. Johnston's Lecture was delivered. 
 
 [From the Newspapers of the day.~] 
 
 ON Friday the 1 1 th April, the Master of the Merchant Company 
 held a Conversazione in the Hopetoun Rooms, which was attended by 
 about 350 gentlemen, of whom a large proportion were Members of the 
 Company. The entrance-hall was most brilliantly decorated with 
 plants and exotics of rich flowering and verdure, and the rooms were 
 otherwise fitted up in the most tasteful manner. After spending about 
 half-an-hour in conversation, the company assembled in the odtagon, 
 where Mr LAWSON, the Master, took the chair, and the Lecturer's desk 
 was occupied by Mr A. KEITH JOHNSTON, F.R.S.E. Among the audi- 
 tory we observed the following : 
 
 Lord Ardmillan; SirW. Dick Cunningham, Sir William Johnston ; 
 Professors Christison, Kelland, Macdougall, Laycock, Allman, Balfour, 
 and Archer; Colonel Geddes, C.B. ; Colonel Maclean, R. A. ; Dr New- 
 bigging, P.R.C.S. ; Drs Alex. Wood, Begbie, Andrew Wood, William 
 Brown, Gillespie, Burn Murdoch, Coldstream, James Duncan, Scoresby 
 Jackson, Ormond, Matthews Duncan, Stevenson Macadam, John 
 Struthers, and Sellar ; Rev. Drs Smith, Nisbet, Forbes, Hodson ; Revs. 
 J. F. Montgomery, W. Smith, D. Henderson, W. H. Gray, William 
 Robertson ; Bailies Boyd, Russell, Mossman, Auchie ; Councillors Wil- 
 son, Hope, Mair, Kay, Menelaws, Ridpath, Pearson, Crighton, Hill, 
 White, Cochrane, Callender, Alexander ; Mr Marwick, Town-Clerk ; 
 Mr D. Cousin, Mr R. L. Dymock ; Mr Brand of Union Bank ; Mr 
 Henry Stephens ; Messrs Miller of Leithen, Samuel Raleigh, David 
 Smith, R. Christie, jun. ; A. K. Morrison, Robert Morham, F. Carter, 
 J. S. Darling, W.S. ; David Dickson, W. Forrester, J. Campbell Smith, 
 T. G. Murray, W.S. ; J. A. Campbell, John M'Laren, advocate ; James 
 Bryson, J. C. Thomson, advocate ; George Harvey, R.S.A. ; Robert 
 
 Horn, 
 
Appendix. 
 
 xlvii 
 
 Horn, advocate 5 George Meldrum, W.S. j Charles Morton, W.S. 5 John 
 Millar, David Rhind, James Drummond, R.S.A. j Maurice Lothian, 
 Adam Curror, T. B. Johnston, James Hope, D.K.S. $ T. Leburn, 
 S.S.C. j James Macandrew $ &c. 
 
 Mr LAWSON said My Lord Ardmillan and Gentlemen, my 
 dudes on this occasion in taking the chair are extremely light. As 
 Master of our old and honourable Company, I have to welcome my 
 fellow Members to the reunion this evening ; and I rejoice to see such 
 a large attendance of the Company, and to observe so many, who like 
 myself joined when this century was not half so old as it is at present. 
 I am also not displeased that the limited accommodation of our own 
 Hall in the Old Town gave me an excuse to go elsewhere, and in these 
 rooms afforded me an opportunity of inviting a number of gentlemen 
 distinguished in other communities of the city, whom, on the part of 
 the Company, I thank for the honour of their presence among us this 
 evening. My remaining duty now is the formality of introducing a 
 well-known and much valued Member of the Company, Mr Keith 
 Johnston, who has so kindly undertaken the real business of the even 
 ing. The subject of the Lecture, " The Geographical Distribution of 
 Material Wealth," must be interesting to us all, but more especially to 
 us as a trading community. It is also of peculiar interest at the pre- 
 sent time when in our own city we have just obtained the commence- 
 ment of a most valuable Industrial Museum, under the able direction 
 of Professor Archer, and where we expect shortly to see in the metro- 
 polis of this kingdom the gathering together under one roof of the 
 finest specimens of all the substances, organic and inorganic, which 
 under the hand of man constitute the wealth of the world. No one 
 can handle a geographical subject better than Mr Johnston, to whom 
 in his valuable Atlases, this country and the civilized world at large, are 
 indebted for the greatest and most complete series of illustrations both of 
 common and physical geography. I would allude specially to the latter 
 branch of science, for 1 think in Mr Keith Johnston's great Physical 
 ) we have often in a single page an amount of information in one 
 
 of 
 
 Report of 
 Conversa- 
 zione, i86z 
 
xlviii 
 
 Appendix. 
 
 Report of 
 Conversa- 
 zione, 1862 
 
 of the highest departments of human knowledge which he could not 
 obtain otherwise than by the careful study of many volumes. The 
 large map before me and the small one in our hands are apt illustra- 
 tions of what I am saying 5 but I shall not detain you any longer with 
 my remarks, and Mr Johnston will now perhaps favour us by proceed- 
 ing with the Lecture. 
 
 Mr KEITH JOHNSTON then delivered his Lecture. 
 
 At the close of the Lecture, Lord ARDMILLAN moved a cordial vote 
 of thanks. He said it was a great honour to Edinburgh to have among 
 its citizens, and to this Company to number among its Members, so 
 distinguished a man of science as Mr Keith Johnston. No subject, he 
 thought, could have been more appropriately chosen for a Lecture to be 
 addressed to a Company that was the representative of Commerce in this 
 community; and no one could have handled the subject more judiciously, 
 attractively, and scientifically, than the gentleman to whom they had 
 just listened with so much pleasure and interest. 
 
 Dr ALEXANDER WOOD seconded the motion. 
 
 Mr RICHARDSON, Chairman of the Chamber of Commerce, moved 
 a vote of thanks to Mr Lawson for the excellent entertainment he had 
 provided ; remarking that that gentleman had been selected to fill dif- 
 ferent seats of honour in this city, and was truly worthy of any higher 
 honour which his citizens had yet to confer. 
 
 Professor ARCHER seconded the motion. 
 
 Mr LAWSON then expressed his thanks for the kind manner in which 
 the company had been pleased to receive his endeavour to enable them 
 to pass an agreeable evening. 
 
 The company were then invited to partake of refreshment j and 
 between ten and eleven they gradually separated. 
 
 Private Press of Peter Lawson & Son, Edinburgh. 
 
 Jm^H^v 
 
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