DA 80T C16 I \ Candid and Impartial Discus- I sion of the False Reasonings, 5 Gross Misrepresentations , and \ Studied Fallacies of Two Late I Pieces... by a Friend of Greit i Britain. UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA AT LOS ANGELES A CANDID and IMPARTIAL DISCUSSION O F T H E Falfe REASONINGS, Grofs MISREPRESENTATIONS, .AND Studied FALLACIES, O F Two late PIECES: The Former written To vilify the Inhabitants of One End of T H I s ISLAND: And the Latter, of the Other. TOGETHER WITH A fair and clear Account of the Advantages derived to Both Parts of the Nation, by the UNION : AND The Confequences of raifmg falfe Notions of it, Set in their true Light. By a FRIEND of GREAT BRITAIN. Do Men gather GRAPES from THORNS, Or FIGS from THISTLES ? LONDON: Printed for M. COOPER, at the Globe, in Pattr-nofter Row. M.DCC.XLVII. CANDiD'and IMPARTIAL CONSIDERATIONS, THERE are few Maxims, with refpect either to good Senfe or good Manners, more general in their Nature, or lefs to be difpenfed with in Pra&ice, than thofe which 3 . relate to the avoiding National Re- ^fledions. There cannot certainly be o^any thing more barbarous, than to reproach a Man with what it was not in his Power to avoid ; and at the fame time, fuch Reflections fall not fo much upon him, as upon his Maker* 3 Thefe kind of Affronts are generally S borne with lefs Patience, becaufe there is no Virtue more clear, or more ad- B mired, 30710V mired, than the Love of one's Country \ and in proportion as this Virtue pre- vails, a Man muft be more apt to take Fire when he hears his Country infulted. It is therefore no Wonder, that the Paper in Old England^ of December 2yth 164.6. fhould be ex- tremely refented by thofe who are born beyond the 1weed y and confe- quently find themfelves injured by it. I think it rather a greater Wonder, that it was not properly refented, I mean, by a legal Application for Re- drefs; for it is, moft certainly, a vio- lent Attack upon the Conftitution, and is calculated for fome of the worft Purpofes in the World, at the fame time that no good Purpofe can be ferved by it. There was an Attempt of the fame kind made by a very witty DivinCj a little after the Union ; and upon a Complaint [3] Complaint to the Houfe of Peers, a proper Refentment was fhewn, tho' from the Partiality of the Tory Mi- niftry, the Author was fcreen'd from any other Punifhment, than that of being declared a public Incendiary, by the moft auguft Aflembly in the Nation. There is the greater Reafon, that Performances of this kind fhould meet with a legal Chaftifement, be- caufe they are commonly attended with Reprifals ; and thus the Peace of the Public is facrificed, and a Mul- titude of dangerous Confequences fol- low from the lawlefs Gratification of the implacable Refentment of a few inconfiderable and inconfiderate Per- fons. Befidcs all this, one of the greateft Privileges we have to boaft > that of the Liberty of the Prefs, comes to be in Danger by fuch Proceedings j and if ever an artful and defigning Mi- B 2 niftry [4] niftry fhould incline to deprive the People of Great Britain of a Privilege which has fo often flood them in the greateft ftead, I know no Method fo pra&icable, as this, for attaining fuch a Purpofe : And therefore, be- fore any more Ink is Ipilt in this Dif- pute, I thought it might not be amifs to give the Writers on both Sides fair Warning of what may follow from their Altercations. The Author of the Letter figned Aretine^ which has given Occasion to fo much Noife, does not feem to know very well, either what he would be at, or what he is doing. He dif- charges his Anger upon the Scots^ in the Words of Mr. John Cleveland, a Satyrift of known Rage and Fury ; but the Reafon he is fo angry with them, is their Attachment to the ab- dicated Family of Stuarts. Now if he m he had confider'd, that Mr. Cleveland s a very high Royalift in the Time King Charles I. ; was Judge- Advo- cate in the Garifon of Newark ; and fell a Prifoner into the Hands of the ScotS) againft whom his Spleen was levelled, becaufe they were not fo much attached to their natural Prince, as he ; this Writer would have feen, that Cleveland's Reproaches are not at all to his Purpofe ; and that he did not offer greater Injury to the Nation he vilifies, than Violence to the Poet whofe Varies he employs : Neither is this Obfervation made from a pure Spirit of Criticifm, but from a juft Regard to the Subject. For if Cleve- land was in the right in abufing the Scots then, the Scots^ in changing their Conduct, can be no longer Ob- jects of his Abufe ; and if, notvvith- ftanding their Change of Conduct, 8 they [ 4 ] niftry fhould incline to deprive the People of Great Britain of a Privilege which has fo often flood them in the greateft ftead, I know no Method fo practicable, as this, for attaining fuch a Purpofe : And therefore, be- fore any more Ink is ipilt in this Dif- pute, I thought it might not be amifs to give the Writers on both Sides fair Warning of what may follow from their Altercations. The Author of the Letter figned Aretine^ which has given Occafion to fo much Noife, does not feem to know very well, either what he would be at, or what he is doing. He dif- charges his Anger upon the Scofs, in the Words of Mr. John Cleveland, a Satyrift of known Rage and Fury ; but the Reafon he is fo angry with them, is their Attachment to the ab- dicated Family of Stuarts. Now if he r si he had confider'd, that Mr. Cleveland was a very high Royalift in the Time of King Charles I. ; was Judge- Advo- cate in the Garifon of Newark ; and fell a Prifoner into the Hands of the Scots, againft whom his Spleen was levelled, becauie they were not fo much attached to their natural Prince, as he ; this Writer would have feen, that Cleveland's Reproaches are not at all to his Purpofe ; and that he did not offer greater Injury to the Nation he vilifies, than Violence to the Poet whofe Wffes he employs : Neither is this Obfervation made from a pure Spirit of Criticifm, but from a juft Regard to the Subject. For if Cleve- land was in the right in abufing the Scots then, the Scots, in changing their Conduct, can be no longer Ob- jects of his Abufe ; and if, notwith- flanding their Change of Conduct, 8 they more than you would allow them, be- fore: And to fay, that after the Union they ought not to enjoy the Privileges ftipulated by the Union, is treating tbe People of North Britain ill, but the People of South Britain worfe; and is fuch a fcandalous Reflection upon the Parliament of Great Britain, as never appeared in Print, till upon this Occafion. The Attack at the End of the Pa- per,upon a Gentleman much efteem'd in his Profeflion, and whofe Good- breeding is equal to his good Senfe, and other great Qualifications, feems to be a Key to the Whole; and fhews, that tho' the Introduction be general, .the Paper was really intended to in- jure him ; and hence it is, that moft national Reflections arife. An angry Man, becaufe he has taken offence at one of another Country, hews his j ' Vengeance [9] Vengeance to the whole Nation; and jn confequence of his being out of Humour with a {ingle Perfon who came out of Scotland, would give up the People of Scotland to Deftrudion ; and in order thereto, endeavours to fpread his Spirit of Rancour thro' the Mafs of his Countrymen. Very juft, very reafonable, and very worthy of a Britijh Spirit, truly ! More efpecially if it be confider'd, that this is faid at a Time when a Rebellion is but juft fupprefled in Scotland^ that was raifed by a Suggeftion, that thefe very Prin- ciples that this Writer endeavours to propagate,, prevailed generally thro' South Britain. A Perfon who, from Envy, Malice, or prompted by In- tereft, aflaflinates a Man, is allowed to be guilty of one of the fouleft Crimes poflible ; and yet what is his Crime in Comparifon of that Man's, C who who becaufe he diflikes,with or with- out Reafon, a fingle Perfon of a whole Nation, would facrifice that whole Nation and the Peace of his own too, to the Gratification of this ill- timed, and unbounded Refentment? Such is the Spirit of that Paper to which we owe a Difpute, from whence the worft Confequences are to be ap- prehended. From what has been already faid, it will fufficiently appear, that I am very far from countenancing the Sen- timents of the Letter- Writer, or from being an Enemy to the People againft whom his Satire is difcharged ; but for all this I cannot help difliking in as great a Degree, the Anfwer that has been given to that Letter. The Author of that warm Difcourfe is very angry with the Coarfenefs of his Opponent's Writing ; and yet his own is to the i full r ii full as coarfe. In one refpecl he very much outdoes him ; for whereas the Letter-Writer abufes only one Scotf- man particularly, and was fo far in the right, that this was a Scotfman y the Anfwerer abufes three Englijhmen, without giving the leaft Reafon why all, or any of them, fhould incur liis Difpleafure. As to the Peer, it is moft certain, that he has fhewn upon all Occafions, as great a Regard to the People of North Britain^ as any Man of his Rank could do ; and on a very late, and very particular Oc- cafion, {hewed fuch a Zeal for ftrict Juftice, in regard to a Scot, and none of the beft Characters, that ought certainly to be remembred with more Gratitude, and good Manners. The Lawyer is afperfed with as little Rea- fon : For to fuppofe him jealous of the Perfon abufed in the Letter, is to C 2 fuppofe fuppofe him a very fufpicious, and a very weak Man ; which is what the worft of his Enemies never durft re- prefent him, for fear of being laughed at; and as for the Office hinted at, I believe his afpiring to it is as far from the Truth, as it would be to fay, he is not fit for it. The Prelate is himfelf a Northern Man, and, ex- cept his Zeal for the prefent Govern* ment, at a Time when the People were in Arms, and Scotland againft it, never gave any Mark of Diflike to, or Averfion for them, or any other of his Majefty's Subjects. As for Nar- rownefs of Mind, it is a very ground- lefs Suggeftion againft all Three; and I may venture to fay, without any Danger either of being fufpedled of Flattery, or of offending againft the Truth, that thefe three great Men are envied and hated by none but narrow [ 13 ] . narrow Spirits, who dread their Pene- tration, and are afraid of their Abi- lities. After all, I am forry their Names hs.ve been dragged into this Difpute ; and I heartily beg their Pardons, for having attempted an Apology for them. The next thing that falls in this Writer's Way, is a very auguft Af- fembly, whom he treats with extra- ordinary Freedom, and this purely on the Credit of a Story told after common Fame, by his Antagonift, of fome new Judges that are to be made for Scotland^ and are likewife to fit in Weftminfler - Hall , which, for my Part, when I fee, I mall believe j and till then, I fee no Reafon to attempt the refuting what at prefent feems to be a groundlefs Rumour ; and I believe will never be found other- wife. The [ 14 ] The Venality of North and South Britons are next compared, and all the old Reflections about obtaining the Union by Bribery are owned in reipecl: to the former, in order to throw them in the Teeth of the lat- ter. Here I think his Paflion has hurried him out of the Path of Rea- fon : For fuppofing the Fad to be true, that there was fome pecuniary Influence made ufe of to bring about the Union, it proves nothing to the Prejudice of the South Britons, tho' it plainly fixes upon the North Britons Charges of Corruption. If, as this Writer all along fuppofes, the Union was beneficial to South Bri- tain, they were very wife to purchafe it; and if in North Britain there were Men who could be brought into it no other Way than that which this Writer mentions, it was certainly right C is 3 right to take that Way ; for if they had this Spirit of touching, they would have touched Fre?tch Money, if they had not touched ours ; and by that means, have given their Neighbours in South Britain a great deal of Trou- ble ; which if they avoided by an in- confiderable Expence, they certainly aed like prudent Men, and able Po- liticians ; that is, they a&ed like what they were, and did the Nation's Bufi- nefs as well, and as cheap as they could. But I have heard another Turn given to this Affair, and that fome of the Scots Peers, who accepted of par- ticular Favours upon that Occafionj did not look upon them as Bribes, but as Equivalents for what they were parting with for themfelves and their Families. While Scotland remained a feparate Kingdom^ they had great Privi- Privileges and Power, as Peers ; and when they were to part with thefe, which they confidered as Things an- nexed to their Dignities, they thought themfelves not in the wrong to make ufe of that Vice in Nature, to get fomething for them : I do not pre- tend to fay, whether this was wrong or right ; I only fay, that if it was wrong, it reflects upon none but them ; and if it was right, it reflects upon nobody. When the Crowns were united, every body knows a clofe Union was propofed, of which the Envlilh were not very fond, be- o J * caufe they did not forefee the Advan- tages they ftiould reap from it, or the Inconveniences they fhould avoid by it. But after the Revolution, both thefe became more apparent; and therefore it is no Wonder, that the Englijh Minified changed theirMinds. I <7 I know very well, that the Minifters in Scotland found Ways and Means to procure the Royal Afient to A&s of Parliament, that made the Union neceflary . and unavoidable ; and I know, that in confequehce of thefe Acls, they fet a higher Price upon it, and had it ; for which I am fo far from thinking they were to be blamed, that I think they were to be highly commended for it. They faw and knew, that an Union muft fome time or other be brought about \ and in contriving to get the beft Terms pof- fible for their Country, when it was brought about, they did what be- came them : So that, coniidering the Whole of this Tranfaclion, in a ra- tional and political Light, neither Side was to blame : If the Englijh loft one Opportunity, they were in the right to embrace another ; and D as as the Confent of the People of Scot- land was neceffary to an Union, they judged very wifely in giving their Confent, when fuch an Opportunity offered, as put it in their Power to obtain the beft Terms that could poffibly be had for confenting to it. It was a Bargain of great Confe- quence to both Nations ; it was a Bargain by which both Nations were to be Gamers; and in this Light it was the very laft Bargain that was to be driven between them ; becaufe they were for the future to become but One Nation. The great Point to be purfued afterwards, was to render that Bargain beneficial to this new and united Nation, by blotting out all former Refentments, and by become- ing on both Sides what they under- took to become, One People. But it has unfortunately happened, that fome, w ' 9 fome, both in South and in North Britain, Have forgot their Obligations in this refpedt, and upon the Face of the Thing, both deferve equal Blame; for at the bottom, both are Enemies to the United Nation; and which is the fame thing, in other Words, both are Enemies to themfelves, and falfe to their own Intereft. The Union, whatever artful and defigning Men may pretend, is equally neceffary to one Part of the liland, and beneficial to the other. Great Britain is a far more formidable Power than the Crown of England was, and the In- habitants of North Britain are in a Capacity of being much richer and happier than the People of Scotlatd ever were. If on both Sides this is not feen, it does not deftroy the Truth of the Thing ; and if any particular D 2 Perfons, [ 20] Perfons, to ferve their private Pur- pofes, endeavour to fet this 'Matter in a falfe Light, to the Inhabitants of either Part of the Ifland, it is a&ing a very bad Part, and deferves a harfher Name than I incline to give it. But before I quit this Part of the Subjed, it may not be amifs to ob- ferve, that thofe to whom both Par- ties give the word Character, agree in defiring to fee the Union diffolved ; thofe among the Englijh who wifh to fee the Scots treated as a vanquifh'd People, and thofe amongft the Scots who have been lately in Arms againft the Conftitution. But the wifer and better Part of the Inhabitants of both Ends of the Ifland know their Hap- pinefs, and are content with their Condition. E 21 As to what has happened fince the Union, I am very much at a Ldfs to fee what Ground there is for charg- ing the Englijh with want of Grati- tude, Amity, Generofity, and friend- ly Dealing. There was a Sufpicion, that fome of the Nobility in North Britain were engaged in a Defign to favour the French in the Invafion in 1708, and upon this Sufpicion they were taken into Cuftody ; but when no Riling happened in Scotland, in confequence of that Attempt, they were difcharged. This I think was very fair and equal on both Sides ; for on the one hand it (hewed, that the People of Scotland were not fo angry with the Union as they were repre- fented to be ; and when this was feen, they had all imaginable Jufticc done them. After the Change of e Miniftry in the Queen's Time, there there was a great Spirit raifed againft the Scots, upon the Suppofition that they were generally Whigs; and thofe who lived at that Time cannot but remember, that there was then a great Talk of diffolving the Union. After the Acceffion of the late King, and before the People of North Britain had any Opportunity of being ac- quainted with this Government, a Rebellion was raifed, and that Re- bellion extended like wife into Eng- land. But that Part of the Nobility of North Britain that were look'd upon as Whigs in the Queen's Time, (hewed themfelves truly fuch upon that Oc- cafion, and were very inftrumental in quafliing that Rebellion. What followed upon it was very equal, both with refpecl: to the People of South Britain and of North Britain, that fell by the Hand of Juftice; and as as far as we can decide by Events, it had a proper Effect in both Coun- tries, and People became quickly fa- tisfied with the new Government, much better fatisfied than they would have been, if more rigorous Meafures had been purfued, becaufe they were convinced thereby, that the Monarch whom Providence fet over them, was a Prince of great Lenity and Mercy. I cannot imagine, why after going down as low as thefe Times, the Au- thor of the Anfwer to the Letter in Old England carries us up again as high as the Reign of King Charles the Firft, and even higher : But let him carry us where he will, it will not make much for his Purpofe. The Cafe of Charles the Firft does no great Honour to either Nation, but furely leaft to the People of Scotland: He was, as the Writer truly fays, their natural s > '[Hi natural Prince, and they had great Obligations to him as fuch ; and yet they were the Authors of his Mif- fortunes, and thofe of his Family. It was the Nobility and Perfons of Di- ftindion that rebelled againft him there, which, if they had not done, no Rebellion could have happened here. It was an Army commanded by fome of the greateft Men in Scot- land* that gave up that Prince to his Kngltjh Enemies : The fame thing cannot be faid of thofe that put him to death here. The Behaviour of the Scots to Charles the Second was very ftrange : They executed the Marquis of Montr of e in an ignomi- nious manner, for fighting under his Commifiion, at the very time .that they invited him thither, and offered to fight for him as their King, againft the Englijh. , Better, moft ceratinly> 4 it [ 25 ] it would be, if thefe Things were never remembred; but if they muft be remembred, let us do Juftice to both Sides. The Englijh never a&ed fo inconfiftently ; when they fhed the Blood of their Nobility , they called themfelves a Commonwealth ; but when the Scots cut off Montrofe^ who was an Honour to their Country, they own'd the very Principle for which he fought ; juft as Duke Ha- milton managed that Party that brought both Nations into Confu- fion, and the King to lofe his Head: Yet when he faw that Event flare him in the Face, he took Arms to prevent it, to no Purpofe, however, but the lofmg his own. If any Man can reconcile this to any Sort of Prin- ciples, or even to common Senfe, Erit mihi magnus APOLLO, A f 26] As to the Fair-dealing and Gene- rofity of Nations, I cannot well tell what is meant by thefe Expreffions. Fair-dealing is the Intereft of every Nation ; and I have never heard, that the People of South Britain were at all remarkable for playing faft and loofe with their Contracts : But if they were fo difpofed, they have no Op- portunity, with regard to the People of North Britain^ fince the Union fettles their Pretentions, and while they have thefe, there can be no Pretence, or at leaft no juft Pretence, that they are not fairly dealt with. Genero- fity, if I understand the Word right, implies fomething of Inferiority in the Party obliged, and unlefs I am much miftaken in my Notions of the People of North Britain, they would be very unwilling to confefs fuch an Inferiority, in order to become the 8 Objecls r 2 7 Objects of the Generofity of their Neighbor r. That, in point of Taxes, they have all the Favour thewn them that their Condition requires, or them- felves can reafonably expecl:, is moft certain. That upon Application to the Legislature ,they have had great In- dulgences given them with refped to their Trade and Manufacture, is alfo certain ; and that they are at Liber- ty to extend their Commerce, and to employ their Fortunes,when acquired, where and in what manner they think fit, cannot be denied. As to Lenity, the Infurredion at Gla/gow> in relation to the Malt Tax, and the Affair of Captain Porteous at Edin- burgh, are pretty ftrong Proofs, that no Handle is made even of their own Indifcretion, to their Prejudice ; for I believe there is nobody of Opinion, that if either of thofe Ads had been E ^ com- committed in England^ they would have been pafled over more lightly, or the Perfons concerned in them pu- nifh'd with lefs Severity. It is true, that we have long lived under a very mild and gentle Government, which has contributed to give us new Ideas of Things, and to induce us to look upon every thing as harfli and cruel, that has the leaft Appearance of an extraordinary Punifhment : Yet if on the one hand we confider, that ex- traordinary Outrages upon the Laws muft be reprefled, in order to preferve to us the Benefits of thofe Laws, upon which the Security of this mild and gentle Government depends : And if on the other hand we look to what upon like Occasions has been done in paft Times, we- fhall fee abundant .Reafon to be fatisfied with the Man- ner in which Things have been con- duded, [ 29 ] ' - < , du&ed, and find that it is a great deal eafier to throw out loofe and general Complaints, than to fupport them by any Shadow of Proof, or Colour of Argument. As to the Bufinefe of Religion, I am at a lofs to find the leaft Ground for Expoftulation on that Head : The Union left the Church of Scotland as it found it, only it added a farther Security, which has been inviolably adhered to ; and as no Caufe has been given to make any Alterations or Innovations, fo none have been made ; and of this the Church there have from time to titne exprefled the ftrongeft Senfe imaginable. That they have differ' d and divided among themfelves, is their own Fault ; and that thofe of the Epifcopal Perfuafion have drawn down the Hand of the Law, by an Abufe of the Teridernefs long [30] long {hewn them, is what themfelves cannot deny; nor can thofe of that Perfuafion, who confider that every Government, as a Government, has a Right to defend itfelf, juftly com- plain of any Steps that have been taken in regard to them. It is the Political Part of their Religion, not the Dodrinal, that has expofed them to the Weight of thefe new Laws, which, how burdenfome foever they may feem, would fcarce ^ have been fo light under any other Government than the prefent. Let them confider the Condition of the Proteftants in France^ who in their Political Creed differ nothing from the reft of their Countrymen, unlefs it may be in having firmer Principles of Obedience; and then let them confider their own, and the Provocations given for thofe Laws which they may think hard, In In faying all this, I make Allowance for their Principles, which I fuppofe them to retain ; and I conceive, that even upon thofe Principles, if they ex- amine Things calmly and coolly, they will not fee any great Caufes for Dif- content, or be able to furnifli any tolerable Reafons to fupport a Charge of Perfecution and unchriftian Seve- rity, unlefs they take it for granted, that thofe who made thefe Laws were Hypocrites, ^ and aded againft their own Principles. The Antiquity of the Scots Nobi- lity is brought in by Head and Shoul- ders : I know nobody that contefted it; not any Ufe that can be made of it, when allowed : But I am amaz'd to find it fo unjuftly preferred to the Englijh, becaufe it may be very eafily proved, from the Scots Writers them- felves, 'that many of their beft Fami- lies [ 32 ] .lies came out of England. As for Inftance, the Earl of Crawford and Lindfay defcended from a Lord Lind- fay, who retired into Scotland in the Reign of Malcolm Conmore, beyond whofe Reign few Scots Titles can be traced with any Certainty ; and he was contemporary with William the Conqueror. The Royal Family of Bruce, was originally Norman, then Englijh, then Scots: So was Baliol, and fo was Hamilton, and of a much more modern Date, than Numbers of the Englijh Nobility. We might fay the fame of Multitudes of other Fa~ milies, if it was to any Purpofe. But the Antiquity of the Scots lability has been always allowed, and all Refpeft imaginable has been paid to it by the Union. It would be very happy for North Britain, if their No- bility would confider this, I mean in general , [33_] _ general, and form juft Notions of the Dignity and Privileges commu- nicated to them, in Coniideration of their Quality, and make ufe of the Means that are in their own Power, to maintain and fupport thefe with Luftre. It is certain that fome of them, merely by living at home, and minding their Affairs, have been able in a great meafure to reftore Eftates that were very much mattered by a different Conduct in their Affairs: And as a reafonable Degree of Pro- perty is a great Addition to Quality; fo where this is once obtained, Men of Titles and Families find it very eafy to extend and improve it. Nei- ther is there any Caufe to complain of general Difrefpedt in the People cf South Brit am ^ toPerfons of great Qua- lity coming out of the North, if we confider the Alliances they have made, F the C 31 ] the Advantages derived to them by thofe Alliances, and the Confidera- tion that is had for them in Sollici- tations for Preferment. I do not fay- that there 'has been too much of this, or that they have been refpected be- yond their Defeats ; but this 1 fay, that, confidering their prefent Situa- tion, there is not the leaft Ground for throwing any Reproach upon the In- habitants of South Britain^ on the fcore of wanting Deference for Scots Quality. The Compliments paid to the North-Britifi Orators in our Courts* of Juftice, are certainly very much ftrained, and indeed are againft all the Rules of Juftice and right Rea- fon. What room is there to ima- gine, that Men who come to a Study under greater Difficulties than any of their Fellow Students, fliould infal- libly 3s . libly get the better of them, and reach the Port of Merit before them ? Yet this is really the Cjfe, in refpect of fuch of that Nation, as addict them- felves to the Study of the Englifh Law. They have firft the great Dif- ficulty to ftruggle with acquiring the Language, which is very neceffary to a Pleader, whofe Difcourfes lofe much of their Force, if they are not pro- nounced diftinctly, with a proper Modulation of the Voice, and in a Tone pleaiing to every Ear. This Difficulty of overcoming a bad Pro- nunciation, is greater than.moft Peo- ple imagine ; and yet it is not the greateft in point of Elocution ; for a Man may much eafier rid himfelf of the Scottifo Accent, than of the Scot- tijh Phrafes ; and thofe Scrtticffits may be no great Blemiflies, nay, in fome Cafes perhaps, Beauties, in pri- F 2 vate [ 36 ] vate and free Converfation : yet they are neverthelefs barbarous in Ha- rangues, in which it is impoffible to make any Abatement with regard to Purity of Language. But ftill this is not all ; a Man may fpeak EngliJI^ and ufe Englifi Phrafes, without be- ing an Englijh Orator. There go to that, in point of Language only many other neceflary Qualifications : In the firft place, a great Readinefs in fpeak- ing; in the next, a happy Choice of Words; and> laftly, a Corre&nefs in Diction ; the Charms of which are felt by all,, tho' very few can tell ex- aclly whence they arife. But, fup- pofe a Native of North Britain^ able by dint of Study and Practice (and yet I very much doubt> whether the Qualifications before- mentioned .can be acquired by both) ; but fuppofe, I fay, 'a Native of North Britain fliould be C 37 be able to reach them, he will ftill find great Difficulties in the very- Road of the Science, to which a Na- tive of South Britain is entirely a Stranger ; and the better his Educa- tion has been, the greater thofe Dif- ficulties will be : For fuppofe he has a Tindure of the Civil Law, inftead of helping, this will hinder his con- ceiving the Principles of the English Jurifprudence. I do not fay, that the Civil and Common Law are incompa- tible, or that it is impoffible for a Man to be perfect Mafter of both ; for we have many Inftances to the contrary ; and to name but two, Spel- man and Selden : But in this Cafe the Common Law muft be firft acquired, and the Knowledge of the Roman In- ftitutions added in a maturer State of Life, when a Man is more in a , Condition to compare and judge of Things, . Things, than when he is forming his Mind, and laying in his firft Stock of 'Knowledge. I might add to thefe, feveral other Confiderations ; but from what has been already faid, every proper Judge of the Subject will plainly fee, that fuppofing equal Parts and Capacity) and more than equal, I fuppofe wil! 4 not be con- tended for) ; a North Britijh Orator will have a very hard Tafk to fet himfelf in the earlier Part of Life upon a Level with his Englijh Con- temporaries, and a very indifferent Chance for furpaffing them: So that all Apprenhefions of feeing the Bar over-run by Scotfmen^ are very chi- merical ; and the Dread of feeing them advanced to the higheft Pofts in the Profeffiori, much more fo. Envy is a mean and bafe Vice, and fo is Flattery; I cannot there- 6 fore [ 39 1 fore believe, that there are many South Britons tainted with the former; and I cah fufpecl fewer of them in- clined to the latter, in favour of thofe that come from the oppofite End of the Ifland. For thefe Rea- fons, my firm Opinion is, that but a very few of the Profeffion are really jealous even of that Gentleman's Abilities, which feem to have given Birth to this Difpute, and which, in that Light, do him great Honour; though even this is a painful Pre-emi- nence, and muft probably give him Senfations of Grief, mix'd with Plea- fure. Thofe who pretend to think in Earneft, that the few Scots Plead- ers we have, ftand poflfeffed of fupe- rior Advantages, will have much to do to perfuadc other Folks, that they are in Earneft, and that they really mean as they fpeak, But fuppofing this 40 this to be a Fad, the Prejudices or Prepofieffions of a handful of fan- ciful People, will go but a very little way in altering the Sentiments of a whole Nation, or in eftablifhing an Opinion, as contrary to the general Bent of Mankind, as perhaps it is to Truth. For my own Part, I muft confefs, that if I did not very well know Diffimulation is very feldom to be numbred amongft the Vices of South Britain, I fhould be inclined to fufped, that fuch as are fond of pro- fefling a real Belief of this Superio- rity, intend more Harm than Good to thofe they commend; and are their moft dangerous, by being their moft difguifed, Enemies : For it was very finely faid, by a Poet who is be- lieved never to have written another good Line, that, Praife undefervdyis Satire in Difguife. But 3 But there has been enough faid to freethe impartial and judicious Reader from any fort of Doubts, as to feveral Points advanced in thefe Pamphlets, to ferve different Purpofes ; and it has been fufficiently fhewn, that tho' oppofite Writers cannot be both in the right, yet it is not impoilible that both may be in the wrong. We will come now to Things of greater Mo- ment, and endeavour, with Truth and Impartiality, to ftate the relative Duties of both Countries, in order to {hew, that the Union is an equal Blef- fing to both, and that the diffolving it would be attended with great Mif- chief, and not fo much as a {ingle good Confequence to either. By this means it is not impoflible, that we may bring Good out of Evil, and fugged fuch Hints to the well difpofed in South and North Britain, as may G operate [4*3 operate towards the re-eftabliftiing that Kindnefs and Friendfhip which fo happily fubfifted before the late Rebellion. The common Opinion is r that Intereft goes farther with the prefent Age than any other Motive ; and in regard to political Confidera- tions,, it is reafonable it ihould do fo; and therefore I lay it down plainly and avowedly, as the Principle upon which I proceed, that it is the In- tereft of the Inhabitants of South and North Britain^, to banifh all Feuds, jealoufies, Heartburnings, and Preju- dice, in order to adopt a true national Spirit, without any Diftin&ion ( be- yond what is requrfite from the Na- ture of Things ) as to which End of the Ifland they inhabit ; becaufe fuch a Spirit is abfolutely neceffary, to promote the Welfare of the Whole, and thereby fecure all poffible Ad- vantages, [43] Vantages, with refpect to every Part of our Country ; and will infallibly ren- der the Inhabitants of Great Britain powerful, and refpected abroad, as well as free, opulent, and content, at home ; which is what would give our faithful Allies the higheft Satif- faction, and take from our antient, hereditary, and inveterate Enemies, all Hopes of fucceeding in their De- iigns. To begin, then, with the Inhabi^ tants of North Britain^ If there are any amongft them who are really angry with the Union, it muft pro- ceed either from a Notion that the diffolving it would contribute to the Change of Government they wifli for; which proves it to be a good thing ; or from their not underftanding it perfectly ; or laftly, from their pre- ferring their private or particular In- G 2 terefts [44] terefts to the common Safety, and publick Good. In regard to Govern- ment,, the People of that Country are much eafier, much fafer, and much happier than they ever were before or after the Acceffion of their Kings to the Crown of England: For look into their antient Hiftorians, fuch as Fordim^ Major ^ Boetius, Lejly, or Bu- chanan, and you will find them in perpetual Tumults, Infurredtions, Plots or Confpiracies ; and this in all Reigns indifferently, from the Power of their Grandees and their Credit with, or Influence over the People. As for what has paffed in later Times, ex- amine Spotfwood, Melvin t Drummond, Burnet, and Wehsxtod) you will fee in them, that every new Seffions of Par- liament was attended with a Charge of Miniftry and Syftem ; fo that the Kingdom was kept in a continual Hurry [ 45 3 Hurry, and the People were more concerned who governed them, than how they were governed. But fince the Union, Things have taken an- other Turn, and the Inhabitants of Scotland have enjoyed Peace and Pro- tection, which are the great Ends of Government, for many Years toge- ther; the Laws have been fupported, the Accefs to the Throne and to the Legislature has been always open ; there has never appeared any Incli- nation to encroach upon their Liber- ties, or to diftrefs them in any man- ner whatever. If in fome particular Points, and thofe too of no great Im- portance, the Cafe has varied, it was amongft themfelves ; their Oppreffors did it by a Power not derived from the Law ; and they might at any time have been relieved, if from their fu- perftitious Regard to old Cuftoms they [46] they had not been reft rained from complaining. But however, fince the Union Feuds have been in a great meafure dropt, the Tyranny of their great Men has been circumfcribed within very narrow Bounds : And tho' from the natural Spirit of the People, Factions have not been wanting ; yet thefe FadHons wanted a Power of do- ing Mifchief, which they had, and exerted with a Vengeance, in former times ; fo that if the living under a fettled, mild, and benificent Go- vernment., be a Bleffing, it is a Blef- fing thofe People have enjoyed, or might have enjoyed ; a Bleffing de- rived to them by the Union : For as their own general Hiftories and pri- vate Memoirs plainly fhew, it was what they never enjoy ed,nor of which indeed they had fcarce a Notion till that took Place. I do not fay this 6 from C 47 ] from a Spirit of Rancour, but merely out of a Regard to Truth ; and I am fully perfuaded, that the wifeft and mod knowing Men of that Country, after calmly considering what I have advanced, will readily admit that the Thing is fo, and that in this refpecl they never had any juft Reafon to wifli the Union diffblved. If from the Adminiftration of Ci- vil Affairs we turn to thofe of the Church, we (hall find, that the Union has been no lefs beneficial to them in that RefpecT: ; for their Religion has remained in a fettled Condition, and has always received fuch Affift- ance from the Government, as was neceffary to fupport and defend it ; and yet no Countenance was ever given to a Spirit of Perfecution but the Way of Moderation was that which recommended the Clergy to the [.48] the Crown, whereby the Peace of the Country has been maintained, and the Credit of the Church of Scot" land carried higher than it ever was. To be convinced of this, we need only look into their ecclefiaftical Hi- ftorians, fuch as Knox, Calderwood, Petrie, Woodrow^ and Keith. Who- ever confults thefe Volumes, will fee, that never any Nation in the World differed more than this has done by religious Diffentions in former Times, O f when the Worfhip of God was almoft continually made a Pretence, for the Difturbance and DeftrudHon of Men ; and the Government had more to do to regulate the Conduct of the Cler- gy, and to keep the different Sects in fome Degree of Order, than with all other Affairs put together ; where- as fince the Union, there has fcarce been any Trouble upon this Ac- connt ; [49] count; and what religious Differences have arifen, either from Pride^Pcavifh- nefs, or Enthufiafm, after fpending themfelves in Field - preaching and Writing, have funk by degrees, with- out producing any Noife or Confu- lion worth fpeaking of, or at leail nothing in Comparifon of what they did heretofore, even under the beft Reigns and gentleft Adminiftrations. How great an Advantage this has been to the Inhabitants of that Coun- try; how far it has conduced to ex- tinguiih thofe Heartburnings and Ani- mofities which kept one Pait of the People in a continual State of Oppo- lition and Hatred to the other, is what may be more eafily conceived, than explained. How far it has con- tributed to the promoting the Prote- ftant Religion, and fpreading a foci- able, charitable Difpofition thro' all H Ranks Ranks and Degrees of People, I leave any reafonable Man to judge, after making the neceflary Inquiries among thofe who are beft acquainted with the general State of the Country, and the great EfFe&s which have been pro- duced by the Schools that have been eredted, even in the mod diftant Parts, and for the Support of which, great Colle&ions have been made in South Britain. In relpect to the Adminiftration of Juftice, the greateft Care was taken to make the Inhabitants of North Britain perfectly eafy, by the Provi- fion made for it by the Union, which fecured to them the Poffeffion of their old Laws, to be adminiftred by their own Judges, in the fame Manner as before, and under fiich Reftriclions as left it not in the Power either of the Crown or its Minifters, to give them r 51. them the kaft Trouble or Diflurb- ance ; neither have they ever had any Occafion to complain on this head, their Benches having been filled with the moft eminent Advocates at their Bar, who whenever they have had occafion to come into England, on the fcore of the laft Refort of Juftice in Parliament, have been treated here not only with the greateft Candour and Civility, but with all the Marks of Refpeft and Efteem poffible. It is true, that fince the Union, Appeals have been frequent ; but this has been fo far from tending to the Pre- judice of the Inhabitants of North Britain* that it has been, as indeed * from its Nature it muft be, of the higheft Benefit : For in the firft place, it ferves as a Check upon the Courts Below, and obliges them not only to act with Juftice and Impartiality, H 2 but [ S but with the utmoft Care and Cir- cumfpc&ion. . In the fcond place, it is a voluntary Acl: of the Parties, who if they defire to be bound by the De- cifions of their own Judges at home, are not at all compelled to refort hi- ther for the Revision of their Sen- tences, in any Cafe whatever : And laftly, it appears plainly by the Fre- quency and Increafe of Appeals, that the People of North Britain really confider it in the fame Light that I do, and are fully fatisfied, that this Method is no Grievance, nor even a nominal, but a folid and real Ad- vantage. By the way I cannot help obferving, that hitherto the learned Lawyers of North Britain have had no Opportunity of returning the Com- pliments that have been paid to their Countrymen, who have applied them- felves to this Profeffion here, fince as 6r [ 53 ] far as I have been informed, there has been no Inftance of any Englifimans entering on the Study of the Law, and making a Figure as a Pleader, before the Court of Seffion ; and yet I am perfuaded, that fuch a Perfon would find fewer Difficulties in his way, and confequently would be fooner able to diftinguifli himfelf at their Bar, than any Scotfman can do here ; and I do not doubt, when- ever the Cafe fhall happen, that the utmoft Regard will be ihewn, and the greateft Deference paid to the Merit of fuch a Pleader : For notwithstanding what has been faid of the narrow, national Temper of the Scots, I never heard they were flow in doing Ju- ftice to the Worth of a Stranger of any learned Profeflion that came among them. The [54] The free Intercourse with South Britain is another happy Confe- quence of the Union, or rather is a Confequence big with many happy Circumftances to the Advantage of the People of North Britain. It is very true, that from the Junction of the two Crowns fuch an Intercourie generally fubfifted, but was not how- ever fo eftabliihed as to give either Nation any Affurance it fhould al- ways laft. On the contrary, when- ever Schemes of the refpe6tive Mini- ftries clafhed, and Projects of over- turning Government upon Principles of Civil or Religious Patriotimi pre- vailed in either Kingdom, this Inter- courfe was interrupted, and the two Nations alarmed and heated to a De- gree of Madnefs, though at the fame time the People had no real or juft Caufe of Complaint againft each i other. [ 55 ] other, but were merely Tools in the Hands of their difcontented Leaders, appearing now in one Form, then in another, hardly ever in their own. Thus in the Reign of Charles I. the Scots Four times entered England, in the Caufe of Presbytery, and of thofe who oppofed the Prerogative ; and yet, in Charles II. Time, a ftanding Army was kept up in Scotland^ in fupport of the Prerogative : And it clearly appears, from the Earl of Shaft/bury *s famous Speech, Of our little Sifter 'who had no Breafts, that this Situation of Things in Scotland had a great Effect upon the Englifo^ So lately almoft as the Union itfelf, the two Kingdoms were plunged in the fame Difficulties : Prohibitions, and other Acts of Rancour and Vio- lence, were talk'd of, and fome praftifed on both Sides ; and, when we [ 56 ] we were involved in a tedious and expenfive War on the Continent, in Compliance with the Schemes of one Set of Minifters, we were very near engaging in a Civil War at Home, in confequence of the dark Defigns of another. But, by the Union, all Dangers, and all Difficulties, of this" Sort, are taken away, and taken away for ever. The People of North- 'Britain are, at all times, at Liberty to bring in their Cattle, and what other Commodities they have of their own, without Trouble, and without Burden ; which alone has changed the Face of the Frontiers, and made thofe Lands, which heretofore were -fcarce falable at all, the moft valuable in that Country. By the Benefits de- rived from this ftable Intercourfe, the People of Scotland have been enabled to fucceed in many Manufactures, which [57-] which they had, formerly, in vain attempted, and fome they have fince learned, and practifed ; that, be- fore this Intercourfe, they never thought of; which, from their Vicinity to England, they are capable of carry- ing on with Profit ; and which, if this Intercourfe were interrupted* they muft be immediately forced to lay afide. By the Intercourfe mentioned in the laft Paragraph, I would be un- derftood, of the Communication, by Land, between the two Nations ; But tho' the Benefits refulting from this, to the People of North Britain^ are incomparably greater than can be conceived by any who are not per- fectly acquainted with the Nature of the Thing, and with the Number of Perfons it employs ; yet it is, in a manner, nothing, when compared to I the C 58 3 the general Commerce of the North Part of Britain with the South, which, before the Union, was a very inconfiderable Thing : But we have not only many Veffels in a Year from Leith and G/afcow, but from almoft every Port, even thofe fituated in the moft Northern Parts of that Country. It is very true, that the ScotS) fometimesj pretend to doubt whether they are Gainers, by that Commerce, or not ; fince what they derive from England., confifts chiefly in Articles of Luxury ; which, how- ever, is a weak and foolifh Notion, both there, and every-where elfe ; for Luxury is an indeterminate Expreffion, and implies a different Thing, in the Mouth of every Man that ufes it. But if the Scots, which is the fair Way of ftating it, have in- creafed the Number of Articles, which C 59 ] which they conceive to be the Con- veniencies of Life, and are fnrnifhed with many of thefe from England^ they muft then purchafe them fome- way or other , they muft increafe their Manufactures, fend out more of their Commodities, find fome Way of remitting hither the Balance of their foreign Trade ; or, in fome man- ner or other, give us Satisfaction ; and, if they do this, it is moft certain both they as well as we are Gamers. But it is very evident, that a great Part of this Commerce is owing to their being at Liberty to fhare in the Englijb Trade by virtue of the Union ; and therefore, if they annually take off four or five times the Quantity of Englifi Goods which they did for- merly, they are enabled fo to do by the Advantages they have gained ia Trade > and confequently are, in I 2 every 6 every refpecl:, the better for it ; which is likewife difcernible by many, and thofe infallible Marks ; fuch as the flourifhing of their Sea-port Towns, the augmenting the Number of their Traders, and the Increafe of their Shipping: And as all thefe Advan- tages increafe in Time, we have fome Reafon to believe, by the Clofe of the prefent Century, the trading In- habitants of Scotland will make quite another Figure than they do at pre- fent, which will be wholly owing to their Participation in our Trade; and yet, in all Probability, this (in refpect to us) has been increafed by it too. We muft, before we quit this Sub- ject, fay a Word or two of the Plan- tations, which are another vaft Acqui- fition the Scots have made by the Union : And I believe it may be truly faid, that the Trade between North [6, ] North Britain^ and the Plantations, is greatly more confiderable than the whole Commerce of Scotland^ while it remained a feparate Kingdom. . But this is not all ; there are vaft Numbers of North Britons fettled in all our Plantations ; it is believed, that they make near one Half of the People of Virginia ; and I have been told, that two-fifths of the white People myamaica are of that Nation, where it is certain that many of them have madeJarge Fortunes, and then returned to fettle in fome Part of this / Ifland. Upon the Whole therefore, thofe North Britons^ w,ho talk of being fet down where they were taken up, of being reftored to their antient Pri- vileges, to their Parliaments, and to the Rights of a feparate Government, either are not in earnefr, or do not underftand the Intereft of their own Country [62 ] Country; which thofe undoubtedly leaft do, that have fpent moft of their Time here ; for they fancy, that a Parliament of Scotland would referable a Parliament of Great Britain, which it never did nor can ; and was no better than a Theatre of Faction, where much was done to ferve pri- vate Intereft, and little or nothing for the Benefit of the Public ; which was the true Reafon of the Poverty of the People, and of their being in no Condition to fupport that Inde- pendency, of which fome of them are, or affect to be, fo fond. It is a faying of Mr. Hougbton y the Author of the Papers upon Huf- bandry and Trade, That the moft beneficial Treaty, that could poflibly be made for us, would be a triple League between England, Scotland^ and Ir -eland ; and this Obfervation 3 he [63 J he repeats more than once. It is indeed a very juft, and a very weighty Remark ; to which if our Statefmen would conftantly attend, they might fave themfelves the Trouble of all other Leagues and Treaties. I do not mean by this, that we might defpife and 'maltreat other Nations ; but that we might be in a Condition to look upon them without Terror ; and never apprehend either our Com- merce, or our Liberty, capable of be- ing affe&ed by their Frowns, or Fa- vour. Thefe three Nations, in point of Situation, Produce, and conveni- ent Ports, have undoubtedly all the Materials requifite to eftablifh an in- dependent, tho' not an univerfal Mo- narchy. It is our Want of Harmony, our Want of Attention, and above all, our Want of public Spirit, that hin- der us from being the firft People in the [64] the Univerfe. Our Want of Har- mony is apparent, in keeping up the Diftinclion of three Nations, when it is vifibly our Intereft to deftroy thofe Diftindtions, that all may unite in promoting the common Good. Our Want of Attentionrjis as evident by fuffcring the French**) have an In- tereft in Scotland and Ireland, which flows from nothing clfe ; and our Want of public Spirit is confpicuous in the Pains taken to keep alive Party- Quarrels, and national Prejudices, to ferve the Purpofes of wicked Men, who make Tools of their Countrymen and Fellow -Subjects, to gratify their own Pride and Ambition at the Ex- pence of the Community. Thefe are Errors inexcufable, in all the Subjects of the Crown of Great Bvitain ; but naoft of all fo in the Englijh^ who are fure to be the greateft Gainers by promoting 3 promoting Unanimity ; and who ar^ fboliflily jealous of the Trade of Scot- land, tho' their own is promoted by them, and the Wealth acquired by the Inhabitants of both Countries is fure to centre with them. The Union of Scotland cannot be denied to be an Englijh Meafure : It was the Project of the wife Treafurer, Godolphin ; and it was the wifeft Pro- iedl he ever thought of ; for it fecured the Dependency of Scotland upon England* which was in the utmoft o Danger of being loft j the Scots have- ing it in their Power to have named their own Succeffor ; and confequent- ly, the Hanover Succeffion is efta- bliflied by, and depends upon, the A61 of Union, with refpecl: to that Kingdom. The Advantages granted to the Inhabitants of ftorth Brita(n % in virtue of the Union, are as incon^ teftable, [66] teftable, as that it was znEnglifij Mea~ fure : And as it was concerted, and carried into Execution, by a very wife, and upright Miniftry, we may reft fatisfied, that they did not grant thofe People fuch and fo great Bene- fits, without a Forefight of recipro- cal Advantages. The Ufe I would jnake of this is, to fhew that it ft equally unjuft and unreafonable for the Inhabitants of Sotith Britain to repine at, or clamour' agamft,. the Union ; fince it \vas their own Ac^ and Deed ; their own leeking, and their own procuring : If therefore it be not advantageous to them, it is their own Fault, and they have nobody to thank but themfelves : if, on the other hand, it be advan- tagious, as moft certainly it is, then tbey repine and clamour without a Caufe ^ or at leaft without any Caufe 67 Caufe that a great and wife Nation would avow ; viz. Becaufe, while they are the better for it, others are the better for it alfo : Befides, the Contrail is irrevocable ; by which I mean, it is impoffible to put the Na- tions in the fame State in which they v/ere ; it would create endlefs and ir- remediable Diforders : And, at the fame time, there is not the leaft Necef- fity for it ; fince, * if, among many good Confequences, fome that are not fo, have attended the Union, which were not forefeen at the Timeof make- ing it, the Parliament of Great Britain at any time, may redify thefe ; which would be both a fhorter and a better Method than repining at, or complain- ing of them. Thefe are plain and felf-evident Truths, which it is im- pofhble for any Man of common Senfe to doubt of or deny ; and therefore K 2 we 68 ] We may judge what Sort of Men they are who either clamour or repine. But it may be faid, that if the Ad- vantages refulting to South Britain, from the Union, are fo many, and fb great, it is very eafy to mention them : And fo indeed it is. In the fTrft Place, we have gained a great Country, and a great Number of Subjects. This we had often attempt- ed by Force of Arms, and never could accomplifh ; but, if we had, a Conqueft would not have been fo advantagious to us, for manyReafons; for then we might juftly have feared all Improvements in Scotland, as tend- ing to put it in the Power of the Inha- bitants to revolt ; whereas, in the pre* fent Cafe, it is againft their Intereft ; neither have we feen any attempt it> but fuch as have not hitherto reaped the Advantages of the Union in point of 69 bf Government or Commerce ; and who were as troublefome, when a feparate Monarchy, to their own Princes, as ever they have been to the united Kingdom. IF an Acceffion of Subjeds be no Advantage, then all the great Writers, on the Art of Government, are miftaken ; and all our Laws for naturalizing Foreigners are weak and foolilhi We likewife fecured our Frontier, on that Side ; which coft us both Trouble and Ex- pence to defend ; and we took from our Capital Enemies the French, the moft ufeful Allies to them, becaufe themoft dangerous to us. If we defire ftill farther Satisfaction upon this Head, we may have recourfe to the Treaties made between France, and Scotland, on the Marriage of Francis the Second with Queen Mary ; the Reafons affigned by Henry the Seventh 7 for for marrying his Daughter to King yames ; and the Offers made by Henry the Eighth, when he propolcd the Marriage of his Son Edward with the Heirefs of that Kingdom. But the Thing fpeaks itfelf : The Figure that Great Britain makes in Europe fufficiently fhews it ; and if the Spirit of the Union prevailed as throughly as the Letter has done, we fliould have ftill better Arguments to offer upon this Subject ; but thefe we muft leave to our Pofterity, who no doubt will, in this refped, have good Caufe to wonder at their Forefathers Blindnefs, ; for, whenever our foolifL Difputes are worn out, there is no Doubt, the Britijh Nation will be far more formidable than fhe is at prefent. The beft Method, however, that can be thought of, for fettling the Minds of People in this Age, upon the [ 7' ] the Subject before us, is to confider the feveral Topics of Complaint ; and how far they are, or are not, well founded. In the firft Place we are told, that North Britain is a poor Country : This, however, we knew before the Union ; and therefore we had no Reafon to complain of that now : And, befides, it is a very high Reproach upon us, that it is poor ; for no Country can be ib, that pro- duces any thing, under a good Go- oernment. Some amongft us_, call it wild, bleak, barren, without conii- dering how many great Nations He to the North of Scotland^ and confe- quently in Countries more bleak and barren than it. But the Truth is, we are very little acquainted with the Country, tho' we have been Matters of it fo long ; we neither know, nor care to know, what the Condition of of it is, or how it may be improved j and the Effeds of this Careleffnefs in ourfelves we throw upon the Coun^ try. We carry on a great Trade to Copenhagen^ Stockholm , PeterJburgh^nA to Archangel y We had formerly all, and we have ftill fome, Commerce with Iceland : We fometimes fit out Ships for the Whale-Fifhery : And we have Factories, tho* no Colonies, in Hudfons Bay : Why then fhould we imagine fo clefpicable, a Place which lies in a far milder Climate, and may therefore be fuppofed as well wbrth vifiting ? At leaft, it might be made fo ; and we, who value our- felves fo much upon making even the worft Countries, turn to Account, when in our Hands, fhould be afha- med to confefs, that North Britain is ftill, at leaft a great Part of it, in as bad a Condition as before the Union ; which [73 ] which we have never improved, or indeed fo much as attempted it tho', with reipect to Timber, or Na- val Stores, we might perhaps fetch them from thence with full as little Trouble, and certainly at a lefs Ex- pence, than from Norway y Sweden^ or Rujfia. The Poverty of Scotland therefore is a Topic beneath a fenfible or a well-bred Man to infift upon ; for, if that be fufficient to run down, a Country, it may be very poffible to fhew him as bad Land, within forty Miles of London^ as any he can {hew in Scotland ; and yet, the Inhabit- ants are not thought at all the worfe for it. What ferves to render thefe Re- proaches the more barbarous and un- juft, and, at the fame time, more abfurd and ridiculous, is the Certainty we have, that the Poverty of Scotland L really C 74 ] really arifes from no other Caufe thart the not taking due Care of it. The Linen Manufacture is now, in fome meafure, encouraged ; and this En- couragement fhews us, what might be done, if public Spirit prevailed in this Ifland. If we had undertaken to* promote this Manufe&ure, immedi- ately after the Union, forty Years would have made a wide Difference in the State of it ; and we fhould^ by this time, have been able to have furnifhedour Plantations entirely from thence ; which would have been much more beneficial to us than pur- chafing the lame Goods in Germany and Holland. The Mines in Scot- land are very valuable, a*id there are of all Kinds ; which, with the Af- fi fiance of the Public in making pro per Roads, and rendering Creeks and Ports more commodious, would pro- duce r 75 duce vaft Advantages to Great Britain. We may add to thefe, the moft valu- able Fifhery in the World, if we may give Credit to Sir Walter Raleigh^ andc other unprejudiced Writers. The lav habitants of North Britain, about the Year 1720, formed a very laudable Defign for improving this Fifhery, in which Perfons of all Ranks and Con- ditions were concerned ; but, upon Ap- plication for a Charter, it feems one of our ^ Change- Alley Bubbles had been beforehand with them ; a legal Au- thority was refufed, and for want of it the Company immediately diflblved ; which was not only a prefent Lofs to the Perfons concerned, but a national Difcoura^emcnt for the future, fo much o the more to be regretted, becaufe if that Defign had taken place, and the Company, as it was propofed, bad erected Magazines in the Weftern and L 2 Northern Northern Iflands, and had a fmall Squadron of armed Veflels to cover and protect their Trade, the late Re- bellion could never have happened ; and in all Probability the Inhabitants of the Weftern Highlands by this time had been fo well reconciled to our Maxims and Government, that we fhould have flood in no need of re- gular Troops to keep them in Obedi- ence ; and, after all, perhaps, this will be found the fureft Method at laft of reducing them, not to Slavery, but to Reafon; not to a temporary Submit fion,, but to a perpetual Subjection, by putting them into a better Condition than they were, and not leaving them in the worft of all Conditions, difarm- ed and difafFe&ed. The former is unworthy of, the latter incompatible ,with, a State of Freedom. The [77] ;.;;; The Complaints that are made of their over- running our Armies, Fleets, Plantations, and learned Profeflions, are in oneSenfe well-founded; for they {hew, that the Union has in a great meafure had its Effect ; that is to fay, it has mingled and incorporated the People y it has brought Multitudes in- to a Submiflion to, and Dependence upon, our Government ; which is a thing of very great Confequence, and a very high Benefit, to this Nation. It is not pretended, that the Natives of North Britain behave ill in our Ar- mies, or in our Fleets ; and, if it was pretended, their general Reputation, abroad would contradict that fuffici- ently : Befides, in the prefent Scruti- ny into Officers Conduct, none of them have been blamed, which I fup- pofe would fcarce happen if they were blame worthy. Thofe that croud over C 78 ] to our Plantations do us more Service furely than if they were tranfported thither; and, confidering how great a Part of our Trade depends at prefent upon the Plantations, and how much that Trade depends upon their being well peopled, he muft have a very ftrange Head, who fufpects the Scots of doing us Injury this way. In Law and Phylic, fome, and thofe no great Number, live here decently, and with Reputation ; but as it is impoffible for them to live here without {pending what they get by us, I cannot difcern why we ihould either envy or abufe them. TheChildren of Germans, French, Dutch, Swifsy and other foreign Pa- rents, do the fame thing, and we look upon it as an Advantage ; and there- fore nothing but Spleen and Ill-hu- mour can engage us to confider the Succefs of our North Britifh Country- > :, [ 79 ] men in another Light. If they were of fo felfifli a Difpofition as not to quit their own Country upon any Terms, we might fufpeft them of bad De- figns, and of an Inclination to turn the Advantages they would even then have from the Union, upon thofe that granted them, which in Procels of Time they might have in their Power; or if they were fo invincibly difaffeft- ed as to refufe to ferve us by Land or Sea, and at the fame time went over to the French or Spaniards, we fhould then havejuft Caufe of Umbrage; but to treat thofe who have behaved well to us, as bad Subjeds, at the fame time that we treat fuch as are Rebels, as Rebels deferve to be treated, muft give that whole Nation a very bad Profped, and afford us no very good one. We 8o We muft indeed allow, and the wifer Part of the People of North Bri- tain will alfo allow it, that, confider- ing the Situation we were in, this time Twelvemonth, there is no great Won- der to be made, that the common People exprefs a good deal of Refent- ment againft the Scots without Dif- tindlion. But when People who pre- tend to reafbn, and to write, adopt fuch Notions, it appears very ftrange ; The exciting People to take from them the*Privileges granted to them by the Union, is writing againft Law, as well as againft the Honour of the Nation, and againft fometbing elfe that I fhall not name, becaufe there is a certain Act of Parliament that makes that kind of writing High Treafon ; and at the fame time it is exciting the Peo- ple of North Britain in general to Re- bellion, by placing it in the Light of 3 Self- Self-defence. Yet, after all,' what Colour is there for all this ? The Pre- tender's Manifeftoes feem to be wrote in the Style of Papers that were not long ago fafhionable in South Britain : ought we therefore to conclude, that thofe we ftyled lately Patriots were really Jacobites ? Or, if we proceed from Words to Facts, will the Ac- count ftand any better ? Was the Sur- render of Edinburgh a Grain worfe than that of Carlijle ? or will any one fay, that the Behaviour ofGIa/gow was not better than that at Manchefter? that the Clergy of North Britain of the Church Eftabl ifhed were not equally zealous with thofe of South Britain ( and more they could not well be ) ? or that the Argylejhire Highlanders did not do as much Service as the Yovkfoire Hunters? What Colour then for national Reflections ? What Room M for [82] for flripping the People of North Bri- tain of the Benefits of the Law, and of their Birthrights ? what Juftice in threatening them with Banifhment or Starving ? The Inhabitants of that Part of the Ifland have fmarted feverely by this Calamity; and it has fo happened, that the greateft Weight of Misfor- tune has fallen upon that very Part of their Country which was moft difaf- fedled, becaufe leaft acquainted with our Laws and Government. Thofe People will not be in a Condition to ftir for a long time ; the reft of the North Britons will, from the Princi- ples of Self-preiervation, as well as from Intereft and Duty, be ready to prevent any future Infurredions, that they .may not have the Seat of War in their Neighbourhood. We have therefore all the Opportunities we can i wifb, wifti, of trying what Effects good Laws and good Ufage will produce : We may, by Encouragement, induce the People to ftay at home, and improve their own Country, inftead of fcatter- ing themfelves all the World over : We may render their Linen-Manu- fadure a thing of prodigiolis Confe- quence to them and to us : We may open Mines in all Parts of their Coun- try, and by that means gain Accefs to and Intelligence from them: We may eftablim a Fifhery, and by that means a naval Force upon its Coafts : So that at the fame time we render the Country better, and the Inhabitants richer, we fhall be our- felves more fecure. To all this we may add, that* with a little Civility, and by uiing ftricl: Juftice towards fuch of the Nation as fettle here, we {hall, with the Help of their Refort to M 2 Parliament, [84] Parliament, and neceffary Calls into this Country, derive to ourfelves what- ever Wealth thefe People by their In- duftry can purchafe. By purfuing thefe Meafures, every Part of the Ifland may be rendered flourishing, and the People in general happy ; whereas Jealoufies, Heart-burnings and Uneaimefifes, cannot fail of pro- ducing contrary Effeds, fuch as abate- ingInduftry,encouragingFa6Honjpro- pagatingCivil Diffention,and fcattering the Seeds of future Civil Wars. The Choice of thefe is before us, and furely it requires no great Meafure of Un- derftanding, to determine what Choice we (hall make. FINIS. UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA AT LOS ANGELES THE UNIVERSITY LIBRARY This book is DUE on the last date stamped below w v 3l3*s^ 8 1962' 'APR 2 9 1967 I JH JAN D HECUUMMi OCT151986 Form L-9 20m-l,' 11(1122) DEC 4 1974' T OF CALJPOJOl* AT LIBRARY UC SOUTHERN REGIONAL LIBRAR FAC ITY A 001 4368831