furer) are mightily for us. I wish friends would write to this place, declairing how much their medling in our business may harm it, particularly 53 (Marchmont). There will be no avoiding 25 (a Scottish Parliament) this fummer; fo pray think what's neceffary for that. Some talk here of difcharging our cattle and linnen being brought in: if that's done, we are ruin'd, and we endeavour rather to get fome good things done for us as the surest way to 24 (the Succeffion); or at least to begine when Z (the Succeffion) is over. Pray remember the Bishops' rents, and take care of Mr. Cunninghame's letter, tho you should neglect your other friends here.

[Indorfed] To my Lord Treasurer-Deput.

London, 30th November, 1704.

Adieu.

XV. FROM THE SAME.

SINCE my laft there has fomething occur'd to me I must trouble you with. You know very well that there has never yet been made any cappitulation for our troopes abroad, which has occafion'd great clamour. We are now upon that matter with the Dutch, and I know no reason why we should not have it clear'd with the English likewife; especially if the Queen think fitt to fend fome of our troops abroad this year. It will, I believe, be very fit we get levie money, and very neceffary, at the fame time, to make articles for the whole. Captain Gain's bufinefs is like to go very well. I long to know what 39 (the Duke of Hamilton) is upon, and fo foon as it's poffible he shall hear of 37 (Queensberry) and 35 (Roxburgh's) meeting. Now that 13 (the House of Lords) is to be upon the affairs of 21 (Scotland), I fancy it might be of great use to us fhould A (the Queen) call 13 (the House of Lords) and 14 (the House of Commons) together, to tell them she will always use her utmost endeavours to maintaine a good understanding betwixt 21 (Scotland) and 22 (England), and that she hopes that, as much as in their power, they will remove any grounds of misunderstanding that may be betwixt them, and endeavour to prevent all fuch for the future. You shall hear from me be the Thursday's poft.

London, December the 2d, 1704.

Adieu.

XVI. FROM SECRETARY JOHNSTONE.

London, December 2d, 1704. THIS is my third, but none the laft poft. On Wenfday the Queen being in the House, at first on the Throne, and after (it being cold) on a bench at the fire, My Lord Rochester defired the A& of Security might be read: the A&t of Darien, he said, had been read. This was oppofed, and debated for an hour, as that which would irritat, and as being against their friends. The A&t read about Darien was authentick, being printed at Edinburgh; but the A& produced, being printed at London, had no authority. The Church party were for reading, and the Whigs against reading, but yielded that it was an A&t of dangerous confequence to England, and that they all knew what it was, and might fix upon any part, if they pleaf'd, in arguing. 5 (Lord Treasurer) said there were indeed great difficulties in Scotch buffines; but the way to overcome them was not to add to the irritation; that matters there were not irretreivable; that Her Majefty was in the way to bring matters there right; that she had employed men of capacity, and who are fincere and zealous in her service; and he hoped the Houfe would do nothing to render matters more difficult. Here one faid, he was glade to know that matters were retreivable; for no man was a better judge than the Lord that spoke. Thus the reading was drop't; as alfo the paffing a vote upon the A&, which Haversham moved: and then they went to the matter of the A&. 8 (Nottingham) made a long difcourfe, full of innumerous bad confequences, which you in Scotland never thought on. 12 (Bishop of Sarum) spoke long of the bad government amongst you ever fince the Union,* and the irritation that had been growing upon it all along, which made Charles the First grant not only the conceffions 1641, but those of a higher nature thereafter; of which he had now read an account, he said, in Clarendon's 3d volume. Upon the Restoration, he faid, for a remedy, a Councill was established of Scotch and English, and all orders were to be given above board; but a great man then, who would have all the power to himself, broke this, upon which there followed rebellions, &c. He remembered that 8000 armed men was brought down from the Highlands, to plunder a peaceable country, and the officers of the army had orders to shoot on the highway whomever they met that had not certain paffes, &c.

* The Union of the Crowns in 1603.

At the Revolution, he said, a Unione was defigned; but that not taking effect, a great many errours had been committed, which he defired not to mention. But he could not abftain from putting their Lordships in minde of what they had done in the matter of Darien. That was just enough to irritat the Scotch, and to make them believe that it was a mighty valuable project which drove them into the unhappy subscription that coft them fo dear. He faid, he could not but obferve, too, a ftrange partiality in the year 1703: An A&t of Peace and Warr had past, of infinite more confequence to England than the A&t of Security, and without any visible neceffity for the paffing of it; whereas the other was past to prevent the difbanding of the army at a time when an invafion was apprehended; and yet, said he, ther was no complaints nor noife made of the A& of Peace and Warr. 5 (the Lord Treasurer) ftated the matter, and did you all poffible justice. The A&t, he faid, was the work of a preceding Seffion, voted then by a great majority, but her Majefty then had rejected it, and confented to it now, because then the communication claufe was in it, and ther was then mony for the troops; whereas that claufe was now taken out of it, and ther was no mony for the troops, but they must have been disbanded even when ther was just ground to apprehend an invafion. He faid, too, that the hurt the A&t could do was contingent, and might be prevented; whereas the not paffing it might have had confequences that could not have been well remedied. He faid, the difficulties in Scotch buffines were not new; but he did not defire to dive into the causes of them. 10 (Somers) went through all the errours committed in this reign, in Scotch affairs, and laid them home with great art and weight; in particular, he infifted on the A&t of Peace and Warr, the Wine A&, the A& of Security, and the Wool A&, and faid it was of the highest confequence to England to provide for their own fecurity against the danger they were in from fuch A&ts, and to prevent the like in time to come. He owned that this ought to be done in as calm a manner as poffible; and therefore he proposed an adjournment,. that they might take time to think on it; that is, to have time to treat with the Court about an understanding in English affairs;-and the tail will follow.

Farewell.

The Commons will be at the Scotch buffines. Pray lett me know what armes are come, or fent for.

Having writen what's above about an hour agoe, one comes in and tells me, that this day Mr. Smith (the great mannager for the Whiggs amongst the Commons,) moved in their houfe for a day to take into confideration the buffines of Scotland, as being a buffines of the higheft confequence to England; and was feconded by all fides, my Lord Hartington, Mr. Bromley, &c. ; and to render the buffines the more folemn, a call of the House is ordered on this day fevennight, in order to proceed to the Scotch buffines on Tuesday after. In fhort, the Treaty is broke off, and we must pay the reckoning. But at the fame time the Whiggs say, that if the Court will be advisable, they are ready to gett fuch conceffions, in matters of trade, made to Scotland, as that the Succeffion cannot faill to be fetled. Poffibly the Court waits till my Lord Marlborough come.

XVII. FROM THE SAME.

London, December 7th, 1704.

I WROTE none laft poft. Yefterday the Queen being in the House, Rochester, Nottingham, &c. preffed a vote upon the A&t of Security. Many warm things were faid, and the Scotch Acts of the two Seffions were accumulated: How was it poffible that any Englishman could confent to them? It became the greatnefs of a Queen of England to refift fuch advices. Peterburough faid, that the Queen had the power of France to refift, with the folly of Auftria, the selfishness of the Dutch, and the ignorance of the Portuguese, with factions and other disorders at home; all which she had refifted, and would refift; but he should be fory to have her accustomed to refift Parliament. The Whigs were for having new acts to fecure England. 5 (Lord Treasurer) said, that was the better way. 10 (Somers) proposed a law to make the Scotch aliens, and to forbid the coming in of their catle-this law to commence after fome time, and to determine whenever the Succeffion fhould be fetled :—which appeared to be the fenfe of the majority, tho many of them are for favourable laws to commence when the Succeffion is fetled. My Lord Halifax said, all these acts were the effects of a bad humour amongst the Scotch, which began with the bufines of Darien, when they refolved to have gott the English trade to themselves. He went on to the Abjuration, which had in this reign been rejected; and fo on to the other

A&s; and then faid, he could not but observe one thing, that the fame hand that had begun all that humour by the A& of Darien, had now finished it by the A&t of Security. Upon this, two Lords of Mr. Johnfton's friends did vindicat him under the name of the then Secretary, and one of them appealed to 11 (Peterborough), who, he said, knew as well as any man the truth of what he faid for Mr. Johnfton, and how much Mr. Johnfton had been wrong'd in that matter. No reply being made, the matter was lett fall. Thus you fee with what reafon Mr. Johnfton was accused of fubje&ting Scotland to the Whigs. This day Halifax made an appology to one of the two Lords, owning that if Mr. Johnston did not in 1695 keep the Parliament to fitt beyond the time appointed, on purpose to pass that A&t, then he had wrong'd him. After much wrangling, my Lord Wharton moved as follows: That it is the opinion of this Committee, that upon confideration of several Acts of Parliament lately paffed in Scotland, and the dangerous confequences that may follow from thence, as to the trade, and as to the present and future peace of this kingdom; the most proper way to prevent those ill effects will be by fome new Laws to be made for that purpofe. My Lord Poulett faid, that the half of this preamble was not neceffary, and that he thought that it had been agreed to, to fhun irritations as much as poffible. The Duke of Devonshire feconded this, but the Lords were weary on foot to be gone, and fo the motion was agreed to, and those Acts are to be brought in on Munday. What the Commons will do, or how all will end, I know not; but many of the Lords feem to relent; but they are to and fro, as matters are off or on betwixt them and the Court. Farewell,

XVIII. FROM THE EARL OF ROXBURGH.

MY LORD,*

THE House of Lords having mett yesterday, came at last to this refolution, that draughts of acts fhould be brought in for their own fecurity. Some propofe making magazines in the North of England; fome spoke very much of the affairs of Scotland, in different manners; and at laft it feem'd agreed too, that an Act should be brought in, discharging our cattle

* Baillie is thus styled, because he was Lord-Treasurer-Depute at the time.

C