therefore, the hiftory of that nation fhould neceffarily clofe; but as North Britain has fince teemed with fome great events, it is prefumed that a fummary of the most important tranfactions relative. to that part of our island down to the prefent time, may be confidered as no improper or difagreeable conclufion to the whole. Immediately after the intire completion of the union, the duke of Queensbury was appointed fecretary of state for that part of Great Britain called Scotland; an exchequer was eftablifhed there in 1708; and in the year following, fome articles of the treaty underwent a few material alterations. The eldest fons of Scotch peers, particularly, were difqualified from being chofen in parliament for any part of Scotland; as was alfo a Scotch peer, if he was made a peer of Great Britain, from voting for the fixteen peers, who at every new parliament are elected to reprefent Scotland in the British house of Lords. During the remaining years of queen Anne's reign, little tranfpired worthy notice, befides the famous duel which was fought in Hyde-Park, on the 15th of November 1712, between the duke of Hamilton and lord Mohun, who were reckoned two of the beft fwordsmen in Europe. After the moft obftinate combate, whichowed its rife to a party-dispute, the latter was killed on the spot, and the former expired the next day of his wounds. GEORGE. ON the ift of Auguft 1714, her majesty dying, the crown devolved, without oppofition, on the illuftrious house of Hanover. The princefs Sophia, on whom the crown had been fettled, being dead, her fon and heir, the elector of Hanover, was proclaimed king of Great Britain, &c. with the cufto mary mary ceremonies and folemnity. The Jacobites in Scotland thought the prefent a fit occafion to promote a rebellion, in favour of the Pretender. That ill-fated man, had affumed on his father's death, the title of the Chevalier de St. George, under which he lived in foreign courts with fome degree of reputation. The fame earl of Mar, who had been the late queen's fecretary for Scotland, and who notwithftanding his profeffions of loyalty to king George, expreffed both by letter and oaths, was now the father of the party, which openly efpoufed the pretender's caufe. In a very fhort time, he collected together 8000 men, fet up the pretender's ftandard September the 6th 1715, and fixing his head quarters at Perth, he proclaimed the pretender, and maintained a correfpondence with Mr. Forster, knight of the fhire for Northumberland, and alfo with viscount Kenmure, the earls of Carnwath, Wintoun, Nithifdale, Derwentwater, the lord Wid-drington, and others of the nobility in the weft of Scotland, who were inclined to Jacobitifm. But though this rebellion had at firft a moft formidable appearance, the king's troops under the generals Carpenter and Wills, and the duke of Argyle, defeated on the very fame day, Sunday November the 3d, Forfter with the English rebels, and the earl of Mar and his adherents, the former at Preston, and the latter at Sheriff Muir. The earls of Derwentwater and the viscount Kenmure being the principal men taken prifoners, were carried ignominioufly to London, where they foon fuffered decapitation as traitors. The earls of Wintoun and Nithifdale were alfo taken, but made their efcape. Mar having loft his authority amongst his troops, they grew mutinous and retired by parties to their native Highlands. Thefe Thefe were the tranfactions of the memorable year 1715, at the close of which, the pretender himfelf landed from a Dunkirk privateer in-cog. at Peterhead. Caufing himself to be proclaimed wherefoever he went, he arrived at Scone on the 7th of January following, where he gave out that he intended to be crowned. But his followers, who were divided amongst themselves, and in general difheartened, receiving intelligence that the duke of Argyle was in full march against them, at the head of a confiderable body of troops, they perfuaded him rather to retreat; and he followed their advice fo literally, that flying with the utmost hafte to Montrose, he threw himself with the earls of Mar and of Melfort, and other chiefs, into a small veffel, and February the 14th fet fail for France. This ill-concerted rebellion, like the South-Sea Bubble, which evaporated four years afterward, proved the ruin of many confiderable families in Scotland. In 1717, Spain threatened Great Britain with another invafion, in favour of the pretender, under the command of the duke of Ormond, who had been impeached and attainted of high treafon, for the part he had acted in connection with the infamous miniftry of queen Anne's last years. The Spanish fleet were difperfed by violent ftorms, and only the earls of Seaforth and Marefchal and the marquis of Tullibardine, with about 400 men, landed at Kintair in Scotland; about 1500 Highlanders foon joined them, but major general Wightman as foon drove them from their fortreffes, made the Spaniards prifoners, and forced the lord to make the best of their way to the islands, from whence they transported themselves back to Spain. Though the Scots do not appear to have had much hand in the fchemes which were formed in favour of the pretender, in 1722, for which the bishop bishop of Rochester (Atterbury) was condemned to exile, yet the king in 1725, paffed an act for difarming the Highlanders, and for building bridges, and opening roads, by which their country might be rendered more eafy of accefs. And to the death of this firm magnanimous prince, which happened in 1727, he kept a ftrict eye over this part of his dominions. GEORGE II. NEAR ten years in this reign passed on, 1727. without being productive of any very particular event. Sir Robert Walpole fo managed affairs, that the Scotch burgeffes generally voted with the court; and fuch of them as for a time acted a contrary part, gained fo little credit by it, that they were fuppofed to act, not thro' independency of fpirit, and for the public weal, but from views of felfintereft or Jacobitifm. But whilft his majefty was at Hanover in 1736, there happened in Edinburgh the following alarming circumftance: A captain of that city-guard, one Porteous, too wantonly ordered his men to fire upon the people, for expreffing little more than a generous fympathy at the fate of a fmuggler, whom he was efcorting to an ignominious death. Many perfons were killed. And as this crime was doubly atrocious, being, befides the fhedding much innocent blood, a direct innovation upon civil liberty, Portcous was inftantly apprehended, brought fairly to trial and juftly condemned, as guilty of wilful murder. The queen regent, however, fent him down a pardon, of which the populace being apprifed, a body of men forced an entrance into the prifon where he lay, hauled him forth, forth, led him in triumph to the place of execution, and hanged him to a fign-poft. The queen was exafperated at this contempt of her authority. The ftate-minifter accordingly took up the affront; and because Alexander Wilfon, the provost of the city, had not proceeded vigorously against the rioters, for apprehending whom large rewards. were then offered, he brought a bill into parliament, which would have not only imprisoned the provoft, and rendered him incapable of holding any place in the united kingdoms, but have abolifhed the town-guard, and demolished the gates of the city. The bill, without much oppofition, was carried through the houfe of lords, but it was examined with the most impartial fcrutiny by the commons, where every Scotch member voting against it, they threw it out. But Sir Robert was neverthelefs determined it fhould pafs; when therefore, it was returned to the houfe of lords, they indeed carried it through, but foftened it, to the difabling of Wilfon from holding any office of magiftracy in Edinburgh or elsewhere in Great Britain, and laying a fine of 2000l. on the city. From this time, notwithstanding the Scotch members of parliament were almoft conftantly fubfervient to Sir Robert Walpole, the Scots in general, ran counter to this administration. Nor indeed, did affairs in North Britain take a much different turn, when that minifter was displaced, and took his feat in the upper houfe as earl of Orford in 1741. Trade, all this while found in that quar ter no encouragement, And though, as the Scots had not yet divested themselves thoroughly of their feudal principles, the army opened fcenes of employment fomewhat agreeably with their difpofition, yet every man could not be an officer. The heads of clans therefore, who ftill were permitted to live upon and govern their eftates, not having fuch |