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STATE of the BAROMETER in inches and decimals, and of Farenheit's THER MOMETER in the open air, taken in the morning before fun-rife, and at noon; and the quantity of rain-water fallen, in inches and decimals, from the 31st of December 1787, to the 30th of January 1788, near the foot of Arthur's Seat.

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EDINBURGH MAGAZINE,

OR,

LITERARY MISCELLANY.

B

VIEWS IN SCOTLAN D.

BALGONIE CASTLE.

ALGONIE, one of the feats of the Earl of Leven, is pleasantly

fituated on the banks of the river Leven in the county of Fife. It came into the poffeffion of the family near 200 years ago; fince which time, the apartments on the North and Eaft fides of the Court have been added. There is no account, nor even tradition with respect to the antiquity of the Tower: It is, however, a noble edifice, and one of the most compleat that is to be met with perhaps in any country. It forms an oblong fquare, of 60 feet by 50; with walls 90 feet high and 7 feet thick: and the fituation is rendered ftronger, on account of the building being placed within a Roman entrenchment; part of which, an angle and two fides, is ftill remaining. This Caftle ftands on the top of a bank, about 50 feet above the level of the river The Caftle-Green, (a fine field of 10 acres,) a garden of 14 acres inclofed by a wall 12 feet high, with other level grounds, altogether forming a beautiful rich plain of confiderable extent, are planted in a ftile much more magnificent than was commonly used in early times.

To the Publisher of the EDINBURGH MAGAZINE.

Mary's firm friends, and adherents to her in her greatest troubles. Is there not reafon from thence to fufpect, that their names have been foifted into this paper, which they never faw? But let us hear the fact, which is this, that the above noblemen, and others prefent in Parliament, "folemnly protested, at the "time of voting, that they confentit to "na hurt of the Queens Majefties per"fen, eftait roial, nor crown, farther "than hir Hieness wald apprieve hir

SIR, OUR Correfpondent in your Magazine of September laft, now again in your Magazine of December, makes his appearance with a new attack on Mr Whitaker, on which, in my turn, Ifend you the few following ftrictures: The bond of affociation upon Queen Mary's forced refignation of the Crown, with the lift of fubfcriptions fubjoined to it, "there is the ftrongeft reafon to think, (fays Mr Whitaker) has paffed "through the hands of forgery, and "that forgery has been bufy in enlar-"felf, being at libertie, nor wald voit in "ging its lift of fubfcribers." See the "ony thing concerning hir Graces ho Bond and Lift, Anderfon, vol. II. "nor nor lyfe, but planely opponit thamP. 231. "felves in the contrare, howbeit thay The two fubfcriptions following "have caufit infert uther fays in thair Murray's are the Earls of Huntly "pretendit actes, and will fuffer in na and Argyle; both of those noblemen, "wayes thair clarkis to giff forth the known to be of the number of Queen "forfaid proteftatiouns*. This paper

A 2

Cat. Lib. Col. C. r. fólie 202. Good. II. 169.

is

is figned by Lords Boyd, Herris, Livingtone, &c. the Queen's Commiffioners 16th Oct. 1568; was prefentit to Queen Elifabeth's Commiffioners, and was never contradicted. Was Mr Whitaker rafh in fufpecting, after this public proteftation, that many names were foifted into this falfe lift, without authority, and in defiance of truth? Your Correfpondent does not chufe to touch upon this point. He cautiously gives it a go-by. Let us now go on to Lord Carleill's fubfcription in the above lift: it stands thus ; Michael Lord Carleyll, with my hand at the pen. Al. Hay, Notarius.It is to be remarked, that this famous bond and lift mentions only the year (1567), but has no particular date of the day and month when subscribed, nor witneffes to the fubfcriptions. Michael, Lord Carleyll, it appears could not write his name. He touched the pen; fo we must take Alexander Hay Notarius's own fubfcription for this. Is this noted perfon's veracity to be depended upon? niger eft, hunc tu Romane caveto! He was a most active tool of Murray's. He was clerk to his fecret council. He compiled the famous act of council afferting the pretended letters of the Queen to Bothwell, (which firft owed their birth to that very council) to be fubfcrivit by the Queen, when in their very next appearance before the Parliament they had no fubfeription. The famous confeffion of N. Hubert, who could neither write his name, nor probably read write, is figned by this active and ufeful notary. May we not fufpect every thing that comes from fuch contaminared hands?

Let us now confider Mr Whitaker's argument:

Michael Lord Carlyle, is a fubfcriber to the bond 1567 on Queen Mary's refignation. On the authority of Sir 'Robert Douglas's Peerage, James Lord Carlyle is mentioned by him as one of the subscribers to the bond of affociation in favour of Queen Mary, in the following year 1568, upon her

efcape from Lochleven. For this Douglas quotes no lefs than two authorities. First, a MS. in the Advocates Library: and, fecond, Crawford's Peerage, who quotes a charter of King James VI. of the lands of Torthorald, in favour of Michael Lord Carlyle, who is there defigned, Frater et Hares Jacobi Domini Carlyle.

According to both thefe authors, James precedes Michael, who fucceded to James as Frater et Hares in the barony of Torthorald.

But, fays your Correfpondent, this charter in favour of Michael, as brother and heir to James, is all imaginary; for he has fearched the register of charters under the great feal, from the year 1536 to 1588, and he can find no fuch charter as the above.

He must be extremely anxious indeed to fettle this important point, if he thinks it fo; and therefore I fcruple not to give him a little further trouble, as I certainly fhall not take it my self. Crawford is an inaccurate writer, but he is no forger. When he quotes a writing in ipfiffimis verbis, as he does the above, and concerning a family now extinct, where he had no intereft to induce him to deceive, I incline to believe him, as Sir R. Douglas did. One miftake, however, he probably did make. It is not ufual in a charter to defign the grantee as Heir, or by the degree of corfanguinity to his predeceffor. But when the fucceffion is taken up by the service or return of an inqueft, then the degree of relationship to the predeceffor is particularly mentioned in the retour, or return of the inqueft, on which follows the King's precept. Crawford probably, for I only make a conjecture, mifquotes the word carta in place of retornatus. In the Records, the Writing, if worth the fearching for, may poffibly be found, or perhaps not; as I believe the records of fpeciall retours do not go fo far back as 1529, the date quoted by Crawford.

Your Correfpondent concludes with an air of triumph on the MS. quoted by Douglas containing the

bond

bond of affociation of the nobility in favours of the Queen in May 1568, the last in the lift of which is Carleil. "But what may furprise Mr Whitaker, fays he, no chriftian name is affixed to it." The inference from his whole paper, he concludes, is, that the authenticity of the public inftrument 1567 remains unfhaken. I beg leave to differ from your Correfpondent. Waving, for a moment, the invincible objection to the fubfcriptions of the Earls of Argyle and Huntly, which he has fuppreffed, the fubfcription of the last bond, fimply Carleil, fhews that it could not be the fignature of Michael, who could not write his name only two or three months before, when Alexander Hay, notary, figned for him. But the MS. of the bond of May 1588 will not decide this point, it bears to be on ly a copy made from the original bond which is in the Paper-office at London, and the copy plainly appears to be very inaccurate in taking down the fubfcriptions: for example, the lift be gins, Archbald Earl of Argyle, George

Earl of Huntly, Hew Earl of Eglinton, David Earl of Crawford. But the writer of this copy, probably tiring of taking down the chriftian names, after the above four Peers leaves out the chriftian names of all the other Peers, and of Lord Carlyle among the reft. To decide therefore this quef tion, which your Correfpondent thinks of fuch importance, he muft have recourfe to the original bond and list in the paper-office.

As he concludes his paper with a falutary admonition to Mr Whitaker, to take heed on what ground he stands, I fhall venture, in my turn, to give a piece of advice to your Correfpondent, which is, that, when he means feri onfly to confult his adverfary, and fup port his own caufe, by eftablifhing the authenticity of the bond and lift 1567% he will fairly take in the whole argus ment; the principal part of which he has left out, to wit, the objections of Mr Whitaker to the fignatures of the Earls of Huntly and Argyle. I am, Sir, &c.

SIR,

As

To the PUBLISHER.

S in confequence of the labours of Mr Whitaker, every thing concerning Mary Queen of Scots has become interefting, your readers will learn with pleasure, that "in November 1561 fhe went to bed about nine, and there"fore in April fhe would be in bed " before ten." Volume iii. p. 334.

Every accurate author writes fyllogiftically, although without the pomp and pageantry of fyllogifms.

The argument, at full length, runs thus:

"She who goes to bed about nine " in November, would be in bed before "ten in April.But Queen Mary "went to bed about nine in November-Ergofhe would be in bed be"fore ten in April."

As to the major propofition, it re

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quires no proof, because it is plain that the who goes to bed about nine in November would be in bed before ten in April.

The minor is thus proved, " on the " 16th November 1561 Queen Mary "was not in bed about nine o'clock:" Keith. p. 204.

When we have well fecured the ma jor and the minor points, ergo, muft o bey its rulers.

Indeed fhould it happen, that, at fome given time, between November and April, Queen Mary was not in bed even at midnight; ergo might take heart, and fay, that major and minor put words in her mouth which had never entered into her imagination, and fhe might demand a new trial by fy gifm, I am, &c.

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not yet licensed, and affords an inftance of the repugnance that may for a time fubfift between the laws and the manners of a nation, was once as regular an exhibition, as we now fee at any of the places of publick amufement, the theatres alone excepted. It was encouraged by the firft ranks of the nobility, patronized by the firft fubject in the realm, and tolerated by the magifBefore the establishment of Broughton's amphitheatre, a Booth was erected at Tottenham Court, in which the proprietor, Mr George Taylor, invited the profeffors of the art to difplay their fkill, and the publick to be prefent at its exhibition. The bruifers then had the reward due to their prowefs, in a divifion of the entrance money, which fometimes was an hundred, or an hundred and fifty pounds. The general mode of fharing was for two thirds to go to the winning cham pion, while the remaining third was the right of the lofer; though fometimes, by an exprefs argreement of the parties, the conqueror and the vanquifhed fhared alike: which is to be the rule in the approaching fight between Humphreys and Mendoza.

We have lately seen in fome of the papers, an Advertisement Extraordinary, as a fatire on the prefent rage for this gymnaftick exercife; but how little extraordinary it would have appeared about half a century ago, we may judge from the following advertisements, which are taken from a news-paper of thofe times.

November 22, 1742. "This is to acquaint all true lovers of manhood, that at the Great Booth, Tottenham-Court, to morrow, being the 23d inftant, it is believed there will be one of the most severe Boxing Matches that has been fought for many years between

RICHARD HAWES Backmaker, and THOMAS SMALLWOOD, for 501.

needless to fay any thing in their praise.

"Gentlemen are defired to come foon, for as this battle has been defer red a fortnight, at the particular defire of feveral Noblemen and Gentlemen, a full houfe is early expected.

"There will be several bye-battles, as ufual, particularly one between the noted Buckhorfe and Harry Grey, for two guineas; and a good day's diver fion may be depended on.

22

Daily Advertifera April 26. 1742.

"At the Great Booth, at Tottenham-Court, on Wednesday next, the 28th inftast, will be a Trial of Manhood between the following cham pions:

"Whereas I, William Willis, (commonly known by the name of the Fighting Quaker) having fought Mr Smallwood about twelve months fince, and held him the tighteft to it, and bruised and battered him more than any one he ever encountered, though I had the ill fortune to be beat by an accidental fall; the faid Smallwood, flushed with the fuccefs blind fortune then gave him, and the weak attempts of a few vain Irishmen and boys that have of late fought him for a minute or two, makes him think himself unconquerable: to convince him of the falfity of which, I invite him to fight me for ten pounds, at the time and place above-mentioned, when I doubt not but I fhall prove what I have afferted, by pegs, darts, hard blows, falls and cross buttocks.

WILLIAM WILLIS." "I, Thomas Smallwood, known for my intrepid manhood and bravery on and off the ftage, accept the challenge of this puffing Quaker, and will shew him that he is led by a false spirit, that means him no other good than that he fhould be chaftifed for offering to take upon him the arm of flesh. " THOMAS SMALLWOOD."

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