interest of Great Britain." This last article or any other English company which are seems to have been by mutual agreement circumscribed to the present limits of Eng laid aside for some days, but on the 1st of February, the commissioners for Scotland put in the following paper:-" 1. Their lordships do still insist for preserving and securing the privileges of the Scots company trading to Africa and the Indies, because the undertakers did, on the public faith of the kingdom, advance a stock of two hundred thousand pounds or thereby; and it is not unknown to your lordships what part the generality of the kingdom, and also the parliament of Scotland, did take in the discouragements and disappointments the said company did receive, as is fully expressed in the address of the parliament to the late king. 2. Their lordships conceive, that the privileges of the Scots company may consist with the English East India company, land; and it is not proposed that the privileges of the Scots company should be extended beyond the bounds of Scotland, so the several companies do not interfere. 3. If the existing of companies for carrying on the same traffic do appear to your lordships destructive of trade, it is not expected that your lordships will insist that therefore the privileges of the Scots company should be abandoned, without offering at the same time to purchase their right at the public expense." This question seems to have been looked upon as impossible to settle satisfactorily at that moment, and as dangerous to enter upon; and when the commissioners met on Wednesday, the 3rd of February, they were adjourned by a letter from the queen until the 4th of the following October. CHAPTER XII. CHANGE OF MINISTERS AND NEW PARLIAMENT; SIMON FRASER OF LOVAT, AND THE NEW JACOBITE PLOT; ANOTHER SESSION OF PARLIAMENT; AFFAIR OF CAPTAIN GREEN. THE interruption, or rather the termination, | the reformed religion as were in possession of the treaty for a union, was followed almost of benefices, and lived with decency and subimmediately by a change in the Scottish mission to the law. The episcopal ministers, ministry. All the more rigid presbyterians, the earls of Marchmont, Melville, Selkirk, Leven, and Hyndford, were dismissed from their offices. The earl of Seafield was appointed lord chancellor; the duke of Queensberry and viscount Tarbet, secretaries of state; the marquis of Annandale president of the council, and the earl of Tullibardine, lord privy seal. At the same time it was resolved to call a new parliament. The two religious parties in the country were both in a state of considerable excitement; for while the presbyterians rejoiced at the failure of the treaty as though their church had been saved from lestruction, the episcopalians, reckoning rather hastily on the support of the new ministry, assumed a boldness to which they had not been accustomed of late years. The duke of Hamilton had obtained a letter from the queen to the privy council, expressing her desire that the presbyterian clergy should live in brotherly love and communion with such dissenting ministers of encouraged by this interference in their favour, drew up an address to her majesty, in which they represented to her that they were unjustly turned out of their benefices at the revolution, and entreated her to compassionate them and their numerous families, who were reduced to a starving condition, on account of their adherence to the true apostolical church, of which she was a member. This petition was presented on the 13th of March, by Dr. Skene and Dr. Scott, who were introduced to the queen by the duke of Queensberry. She received them graciously, and promised to protect them, and endeavour to supply their necessities; but she exhorted them to live in peace and christian love with the clergy who were by law invested with the church government in Scotland. This same month was the period appointed for a general assembly, which met with some feeling of irritation caused by this proceeding. Lord Seafield, whom the queen had sent down as her commissioner, brought a letter from her in which she promised that she would protect divided, for there was from the first a the presbyterian form of government "as that which she found most acceptable to the inclinations of the people;" but the assembly, who seem to have had some suspicion of the sincerity of the queen's intentions in their favour, were not satisfied with these expressions, and in their address in reply to the letter they carefully described it as the form of church government "agreeable to the word of God." An attempt was made to assert the intrinsic right of the church to hold and to dissolve its own courts independently of the civil power, with the desire of providing against a repetition of the abrupt and rather violent dissolutions of some late assemblies; but this was rather strongly opposed by some of the moderate presbyterians, and was consequently laid aside. A proposal for preventing intermarriages between papists and protestants was debated warmly; and in the middle of this discussion, the commissioner suddenly dissolved the meeting in the queen's name, and the moderator, being taken by surprise, allowed the dissolution to take place without a protest. But the dissatisfaction of the ministers led the question in dispute as to the kirk's intrinsic power-to be warmly discussed and finally compromised by a form which left the real power to the state, while it indulged the church with the appearance of it, and which has been retained ever since. In future, an assembly was to be dissolved first by the moderator in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, and then by the commissioner in the name of the civil power. While this assembly had been going on, great exertions were making throughout the country by the different political parties to gain a majority in the elections, and the result was, that a more considerable number of those who might be considered in general terms as anti-revolutionists obtained seats than had sat in any parliament since the revolution. But most of the parties were more or less divided among themselves, for even the newly-formed country party consisted of two very distinct classes of menthe dissatisfied presbyterians, led by Fletcher of Saltoun, who only sought a redress of grievances which had existed during the iate reign; and those who acknowledged as their leaders the duke of Hamilton and the marquis of Tweeddale, and who were guided more by personal ambition and interests than by attachment to any particular sect in religion or principle. The ministry itself was jealousy between the members of the old administration who remained in office and their new colleagues. The struggle, however, lay really between the presbyterians and the jacobites. The latter were courted by the earl of Seafield, who, believing them to be stronger than they were, encouraged them with assurances of the queen's secret attachment and reliance upon their superior loyalty and fidelity. Still further to strengthen them, Seafield obtained an indemnity for all acts they had committed since the revolution, which was published in the month of March, and many of the exiles took advantage of it to return from France to Scotland, where, pretending to have changed their sentiments, they took the oaths in order to be qualified to sit in parliament. The episcopalian clergy threw all their weight, such as it was, into the interest of this party, and they became so sanguine that they entertained hopes of being able to outvote the presbyterians. This party, now known as the cavaliers, acknowledged the lord Hume as their leader. The party who supported the principles of the revolution, consisting of the great body of the moderate presbyterians, had for its leader the duke of Argyle. The rigid presbyterians, whose fears as well as their hostility had been excited by recent events, were especially active in the elections, and the duke of Hamilton, who was too wise to separate himself entirely from the presbyterian party, rather assisted than checked them. The consequence was that, though part of them formed the strength of the country party, when united the presbyterians far outnumbered the episcopalians and jacobites. As this was the last parliament of Scotland, and as it was opened with especial solemnity, the ceremonies attending it, or (according to the old terms) the riding, deserve to be described in detail. On the 6th of May, the day of opening, the streets through which the cavalcade was to pass were cleared of all coaches and carriages, and a lane was formed in the middle with rails on each side, within which those only who formed part of the procession were permitted to enter, except the captains, lieutenants, and ensigns of the trained bands. The streets, without the rails, were lined from Holyrood-house westward, first with the horse-guards; next, with the horsegrenadiers; then, with the foot-guards, who reached to the Nether Bow; from thence to the parliament square, by the trained bands | seats, prayers were said, and then the comof the city; from the parliament square to mission of the queen's representative to the the parliament house, by the lord high con- parliament was read in Latin. After this stable's guards; and from the parliament the rolls were called, and if any member house to the bar, by the earl Marshal's were called out of his proper order, a proguards. The lord high constable was seated test for precedency was entered. When in an elbow-chair at the door of the parlia- this part of the ceremony had been conment house. The officers of state were cluded, the court of parliament was "fenced" assembled there in their robes. The mem- by the lion-king-at-arms, in the following bers of parliament, with their attendants, words, which were read by the lord clerkassembled at Holyrood-house, from the register, and repeated by the king-at-arms :windows and gates of which the rolls of "Forasmuch as this present parliament was parliament were called over by the lord- called by her majesty's royal authority and register, lord-lion, and heralds, after which special mandate, and is now met and conthe procession moved forward in the follow-vened in obedience thereto, I therefore, in ing order: Two trumpeters in coats and the name of her most sacred majesty, Anne, banners, riding, and bareheaded. Two pur- by the grace of God, of Scotland, England, suivants in coats and foot-manties, similarly France, and Ireland, queen, defender of the riding. Sixty-three commissioners for bo- faith, and in the name of the high and mighty roughs, on horseback, covered, riding two prince, James, duke of Queensberry, her and two, each having a lackey attending on majesty's high commissioner for this kingfoot, "the odd member walking alone." dom, do fence and fix this court to sit, ho'd, Seventy-seven commissioners for shires, on and continue during her majesty's pleasure; horseback, covered, two and two, each hav- and I command all and sundry to reverence, ing two lackies attending on foot. Fifty- acknowledge, and obey the same, and I deone lords and barons, in their robes, riding fend and forbid all persons whatsoever to two and two, each having a gentleman to make or occasion any trouble or molestation support his train, and three lackies on foot, to this high court of parliament, as they will wearing above their liveries velvet surtouts, answer at their highest peril." The lord with the arms of their respective lords on Boyle, lord treasurer depute, took instruthe breast and back, embossed on plate, or ments of this proceeding, in absence of the embroidered with gold and silver. Nine- queen's advocate. The commissions for the teen viscounts, as the former. Sixty earls, officers of state were next produced and read, as the former, four lackies attending on each. and those officers took their oaths and seats Four trumpeters, two and two; four pursui- in parliament in the following order: the vants, two and two; six heralds, two. and earl of Seafield, lord chancellor; the marquis two, bareheaded. The lord lion-king-at- of Annandale, president of the privy council; arms, in his coat, robe, chain, baton, and the earl of Tullibardine, lord privy seal; foot-mantle. The sword of state, borne by viscount Tarbet, secretary; sir James Murray the earl of Mar, and the sceptre, by the of Philiphaugh, lord clerk-register; and Mr. earl of Crawford, supported by three macers Roderick Mackenzie of Prestonhall, lord on each side. The crown, borne by the earl justice-clerk. The next proceeding was to of Forfar, in the room of the marquis of read the queen's letter, which was done first Douglas. The purse and commission, car- by the lord clerk-register, and then a second ried by the earl of Morton. The duke of time by one of the ordinary clerks. She Queensberry, lord high commissioner, with expressed in general terms her affection for his servants, pages, and footmen. Four the religion and liberties of her ancient dukes, two and two, gentlemen bearing their kingdom of Scotland, and her readiness to trains, and each having eight lackies. Six contribute in any way to their security and marquises, each having six lackies. The duke of Argyle, captain of the horse-guards. The horse-guards. At the entrance of the house, the commissioner was received by the lord high constable, who conducted him to the earl Marshal, and between them, ushered by the lord chancellor, he was led to the throne. After all the members, in their several orders and classes, had taken their protection; recommended to the parliament the necessary supplies for the just war in which she was engaged, and the encouragement of trade, and told them she calculated upon their dutiful and cheerful concurrence with her wishes. The commissioner and chancellor, as usual, spoke in recommendation and support of the queen's speech. After the latter had concluded, the duke of |