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manufactory of stone ware. The mob burned his "houses; totally destroyed his manufactory and "stock in trade; and obliged himself and his family to fly for their lives into the fields. But the "laudable measures pursued by the magistrates " and principal inhabitants, for restoring the public peace and tranquillity, were so efficacious, that "the mischief went no farther, and order and "security were soon restored. Being also, at the

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same time, equally ashamed and concerned, that "the character and government of so extensively "commercial a city should suffer under the impu"tation and disgrace of such an act of outrage and

persecution, they seemed willing, so far as it "could be done, to obliterate every trace of it from "the memory. Bagnal was accordingly speedily

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acquainted, that he should be reimbursed for every part of his losses to the uttermost farthing; "and several of the principal inhabitants, including respectable names among the clergy, acquired "no small honour, by the attention and tenderness "which the wife and family of the sufferer expe"rienced from them, during the immediate pressure "of their terror and distress.

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"These matters were of course agitated more "than once in parliament during that session; and a patriotic member of the house of commons was upon the point of bringing in a bill for affording "compensation and relief to the sufferers, until the "minister gave an assurance, that the matter would "be privately settled to their satisfaction."

LXXXV. 4.

The Act passed in the year 1793, for the relief of the
Scottish Catholics.

An act passed by the parliament of Scotland, in the 8th and 9th years of king William, imposed many penalties and disabilities on the catholics of that kingdom, who should not take and subscribe... the oath and declaration which it prescribed. The oath and declaration soon became generally known in Scotland by the appellation of The Formula. It is expressed in the following terms :

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“I, do sincerely, from my heart, profess and declare, before God, who searcheth "the heart, that I do deny, disown, and abhor, "these tenets and doctrines of the papal Romish "church,-viz.-The supremacy of the pope and bishop of Rome, over all pastors of the catholic "church; his power and authority over kings, princes, and states, and the infallibility that he pretends to, either without or with a general "council; his power of dispensing and pardoning; "the doctrine of transubstantiation, and the corporal presence with the communion, without the cup, in the sacrament of the Lord's supper; the "adoration and sacrifice professed and practised by the popish church in the mass; the invocation "of angels and saints; the worshipping of images, "crosses and relics; the doctrine of supererogation, indulgences, and purgatory; and the service and "worship in an unknown tongue: all which tenets

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"and doctrines of the said church, I believe to be

contrary to and inconsistent with the written "word of God; and I do, from my heart, deny, "disown, and disclaim the said doctrines and tenets "of the church of Rome, as in the presence of God, "without equivocation or mental reservation, but "according to the known and plain meaning of the "words, as to me offered and proposed. So help "me God."

It has been mentioned in a former part of this work, that the act passed in 1778, for the relief of the English catholics, did not extend to the catholics in Scotland; neither did the repealing act of 1791 extend to them. But, on Monday the 22d of April 1793, the lord advocate of Scotland stated, in the house of commons, that, "his ma

jesty's catholic subjects in Scotland were then "incapacitated by law, either from holding or "transmitting landed property, and were liable to "other very severe restrictions, which could not "then be justified by any necessity or expediency." He therefore moved, "That leave should be given "to bring in a bill to relieve persons professing "the roman-catholic religion from certain penalties "and disabilities imposed on them by acts of par"liament in Scotland, and particularly by an act "of the 8th of king William."

On the following day, the lord advocate proceeded to observe, that the "roman-catholics of "Scotland laboured under many hardships and "disabilities on account of their adherence to "their religion. By one law, an oath, called a

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formula, or solemn declaration, was imposed upon them, which they could not take, without "renouncing the religion which they professed; "and that if they refused to take it, their nearest protestant relation might deprive them of their "estates." His lordship stated, that, "it was re

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pugnant to justice and humanity, that a subject "should be deprived of his estate, for no other "reason than that he professed the religion most

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agreeable to his judgment and his conscience; "or that he should be placed in the wretched "situation of holding his estates at the mercy of any protestant relation, who might be profligate enough to strip him of it, by enforcing this penal "law. The liberality, which had induced the "house the last year, and, on a former occasion, "to grant relief to the roman-catholics of England, "would, he was persuaded, induce them to extend "relief also to the roman-catholics of Scotland, "whose loyalty and conduct gave them an equal "claim to the indulgence of the legislature. "admitted that the particular law, to which he "referred, was too odious to be often carried into "execution; but, if it was not fit that it should be "executed at all, it ought not to be suffered to "remain, merely as a temptation to the profligate "to strip honest and meritorious people of their

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property." He said, he was extremely sorry to inform the committee," that there was, at that "moment, a suit actually depending in the courts "of law in Scotland, founded on this particular

"able and amiable in character as any man in this " or any other kingdom, was possessed of an estate "of 1,000l. a year, which had been in his family "for at least a century and a half; this gentleman, "loved and respected by all who knew him, was

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now on the point of being stripped of his pro"perty by a relation, who could have no other "shadow of claim to it than that which he might "derive from this penal law, which he was en"deavouring rigidly to enforce. In the courts, as "much delay as possible was thrown in his way; "but it was to be feared that he must succeed at last, and reduce to beggary a gentleman in every

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respect a most meritorious subject. If it was too "late to save him from such a misfortune, the

legislature, he trusted, would interpose, and take "care that he should be the last victim to a cruel "law, and that it should never operate in future to "the destruction of any other person; for surely "it was no longer to be endured, that a man "should be placed in the horrid situation of either

renouncing the religion of his heart, or by ad'hering to it conscientiously, forfeit all his worldly "substance." His lordship concluded by moving, "That the chairman should be directed to move "the house for leave to bring in a bill requiring "an oath of abjuration and declaration from his majesty's roman-catholic subjects in that part of "Great Britain called Scotland."

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Colonel Macleod having declared his ready concurrence in the measure proposed, the question was unanimously carried; and the bill having

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