nouris, with Act of Counsaill quhairby the said umquhile Sr Gedeone ressaved the saidis Honnouris fra umquhile Sr Johne Arnott, and fand thame to be conforme to the said Act in every point, and that nothing was inlaiking that wes contentit in the said Act. And siclyke thay declairit that thay causit nomber the particular soirtis of the silver plaitt, and wey the same, etc. etc. That the said Sr Patrick, immediatelie after the sighting of the saidis Honnouris, and after that the said silver plaitt was nomberit, weyed and inventarit as said is, delyverit the said Honnonris and silver plaitt to the said John Erle of Mar, in thair presence, quho causit pak and put up the silver plaitt in tua cloisse cofferis. The keyis quhairof wer delyverit to the said John Erle of Mar himself, lyke as the said Johne Earl of Mar being personallie present grantit the ressett of the saidis Honnouris, and of ane grite aik-kist, quhairin thay ar keepit, and of the silver plaitt, and maise, called the Thesauraris maise, whilk wes delyverit to him be the said umquhile Sr Gedeone in his awne tyme. Quhilk report and declaratioun inaid be the said Commissioneris, and grant foirsaid maid be the said Erle of Mar, in maner foirsaid, being hard and considerit be the said Lordis, and they rypelie advysit thairwith, The Lordis of Secreit Counsaill findis and declairis, that the said umquhile Sr Gedeone hes most faithfullie, cairfullie, and honnestlie, preservit and keepit his Majesties Honnouris and silver plaitt foirsaid, fra the tyme that he ressavit the same untill the tyme of his deceis. And that the said Sr Patrik, his sone, hes most worthelie exonerit himselff of the saidis Honnouris and silver plaitt, and of the aik-kist quhairin the Honnouris wer keepit, by making of a full delyverie of the same to the said Erle of Mar, conforme to the warrand and ordinance of the counsell given to him for that effect. And therefore the saidis Lordis exoneris, releeves, and freethis the said umquhile Sr Gedeone, the said Patrik, his sone, and thair airis and executouris of his Majesties saidis Honnouris and silver plaitt, and of the maise, callit the Thesauraris maise, delyverit be the said umquhile Sr Gedeone in his awne tyme to the said Lord Thesaurair, and of the aik-kist foirsaid, and declairis thame to be free thairof for now and

ever.

No. IV.

NOTICES RESPECTING THE CUSTODY OF THE REGALIA; EXTRACTED FROM THE ACTS OF THE PARLIAMENT OF SCOTLAND.

In the Parliament held at Edinburgh, Maii 15, 1650.-" Instrumentis takin be the L. M. of Argyll, wpoun the productione of the Honouris in face of Parliament, and delyverie thairoff to the Laird of Scottiscraig, in name of the Erle Marchell."

Jul. 5, 1650.-" Instrumentis takin be Sr Charles Erskein, vpon redelyverie of the Honours to be keiped or transported, as the Committie of Estates shall give ordour."

In the Parliament held at Perth, Nov. 26, 1650.-" The L. M. of Argyle, askit instrumentis wpoun the productione of the Honouris, viz. the Crown, scepter, and sword, in face of Parliament, whiche wes delyvered to the Laird of Scottiscraig, in the name of the Erle of Marischall."

Dec. 30, 1650.-"Scottscraig, in name of the Earle Marshall, tooke instrumentis vpon the production of the Honours quhich the King and Estates ordanes to be delyvered to the Marques of Argyle, in name of the Commissioners of the Thesaurarie, and if any danger be in keiping of thame, to be rewled be the advyse of the Committee of the Estaittis."

In the Parliament held at Perth, Mar. 13, 1651.-"The L. M. of Argyll, for himselff and in name of the remanent Commissioneris of the Thesurarie, did exhibeitt in face of Parliament, the Honouris, viz. the crown, scepter, and sword, and thairupon askit instrumentis, whiche wer delyvered to the L. of Scottiscraig, in name of the E. Marchell, to be keepit by him during this Sessione of Parliament."

Mar. 31, 1651.-"The L. Mongomrie, in name of the E. Marchell, askit instrumentis wpoun the reproductione of the Honouris, viz. the crown, scepter, and sword, in face of Parliament and protestit for exoneratione thairof, quhilkis wer thane delyvered to the M. of Argyll, in name of the Commissioneris of the Thesaurarie."

In a Parliament held at Stirling on the 23d of May, 1651, at which the King was present, there is the following entry · -"The L. M. of Argyll, for himselff and in name of the remanent Commissioneris for the Thesurarie, askit instrumentis poun the productione of the Honouris, viz. the Crown, scepter, and sword, for his and thair exoneratione, and thairupoun askit instrumentis, Lykas thairefter the Honouris wer by his Majesties and the Parliamentis ordour delyvered to Sr Wm Keath of Ludquhairo, in name of the E. Marchell, to be keepit during this Sessione of Parliament." And on the last day of this Parliament (June 6, 1651), there are

"Instrumentis takin be the E. Marchell upon the productioun of the Honours with his desyre represented to the Parliament That the same might be putt in sum pairt of securitie. His Majestie and Parliament ordanes the said Erle of Marchell to caus transport the saidis Honouris to the hous of Dunnottor thair to be keepit by him till farther ordouris."

No. V.

Act of Parliament in favors of Christian Fletcher, spous of Mr James Granger, Minister at Kinneth..

Jan. 11, 1661.-Forasmuch as the Estatis of Parliament doe understand that Christian Fletcher, spous to Mr James Granger, minister at Kinneth, wes most active in conveying the Royall Honours, his Majesties Crown, Sword, and Scepter, out of the Castle of Dunnotter, immediately befor it was rendered to the English Usurpers, and that be her care the same wer hid and preserved; Thairfore the Kings Majestie, with advice of his Estates of Parliament, doe appoint two thousand merks Scots to be forthwith payed unto her be his Majesties The saurer, out of the readiest of his Majesties rents, as a testimony of their sence of her service aformentioned.

(Act. Parl. vol. vii. p. 11.]

No. VI.

Notes from the Records in Exchequer, showing the way and manner in which the Regalia of Scotland were taken down from, and carried up to the Castle, at the commencement and ending of the Sessions of Parliament.

Edinburgh, 9th June, 1702.-The Lord Thesaurer Depnt went in his own coach with Moncrief and Mr James M Kenzie, to the Castle of Edinburgh, and carried down, in one of the Commissioners coaches, the Honours, betwixt 11 and 12 of the clock, viz.His Lordship the Crown, Moncrief the Scepter, and Mr Mackenzie the Sword. The Erle of Kintor was with them in the coach, and the Honors were delivered by them to Mr Wilson, one of the under Clerks of Session, at the table whereon they ly at the meetings of the Sessions of Parliament; and Deacon Lethan, smith, got the keyes of the vault and chest quhair the honors lay, from Moncrief, to help some defect in the locks, and has not returned them.

Edinburgh, 1st July, 1702, being the day after the Parliament did rise, betwixt 11 and 12 of the clock.-The Honors were carried up to the Castle, and were layed up in the chest within the vault. The Thesaurer Deput Moncrief, and Mr Ja. McKenzie, receiving them as above, in the Commissioners coach; the Erle of Kintor being with them.

Edinburgh, 5 May, about 8 o'clock at night, 1703.-The Honors were carried from the Castle to the Abay; the Crown by Moncrieff; the Schepter by Mr Ja. M'Kenzie; and the Sword by Forglan, in the Commissioners coach. And the Lord Boyll, Thesaurer Deput cam there in his own coach, and returned to the Abay, where the Honors were laid down on a table in the Commissioners presence.

Edinburgh, 17 Septr. about 5 of the clock at night.-The Honors wer carried up to the Castle, but were not put in the chest that stands in the vaults until the next morning, at the sight of the Thesaurer Deput.

N. B. Moncrieffe, mentioned in the foregoing Minutes, was Sir Thomas Moncrieffe of Moncrieffe, and who was, with Mr James Mackenzie, Joint Clerk of the Treasury Exchequer.

MERCHISTON TOWER.

THIS fortalice is situated upon the ascent, and nearly about the summit, of the eminence called the Borough-moor-head, within a mile and a half of the city walls. In form, it is a square tower of the fourteenth or fifteenth century, with a projection on one side. The top is battlemented, and within the battlement, by a fashion more common in Scotland than in England, arises a small building, with a steep roof, like a little stone cottage, erected on the top of the tower. This sort of upper story, rising above the battlements, being frequently of varied form, and adorned with notched gables and with turrets, renders a Scottish tower a much more interesting object than those common in Northumberland, which generally terminate in a flat battlemented roof, without any variety of outline. A considerable addition has been made to the house of Merchiston within these thirty years, in the form of which the architect apparently meant to maintain the character of the original building, but his purpose has been more meritorious than the execution.

Merchiston was, from an ancient period, the patrimony of the ancient family of Napier, ennobled in 1627. It is said, to have been possessed by Alexander Napier, Provost of Edinburgh, in 1437, was certainly the property of his son, Sir Alexander Napier of Merchiston, and continued to be the principal seat of that honourable family until the present generation, when it was sold by the present Lord Napier's father, but has been since re-acquired by the family.

Being so near Edinburgh, Merchiston did not escape being garrisoned during the bloody period of Queen Mary's reign, or rather of her son's, which was popularly termed the "Douglass's wars," from the share taken in them by the stern Earl of Morton. Each baron's house in Mid-Lothian was in those melancholy days attacked and defended, and the gibbet was the fate of the prisoners on both sides. Merchiston was at this time garrisoned by Morton, as were the kirk of Corstorphine, Reidhall, Craigmillar, and other tenable places, in order to straiten the Queen's party, who then lay at Edinburgh. On the other hand, the Queen's lords, as they were called, established garrisons at Livingston, Blackness, and, in especial, Seaton-Niddrie, which last, as nearest to Edinburgh, seems to have given great annoyance to the king's party. A soldier in the garrison covenanted to introduce the soldiers of Morton into Seaton-Niddrie, or West-Niddrie, by stratagem, and the night was fixed when they were to make the attempt with scaling ladders. But their accomplice betrayed their purpose. In consequence of the information which he communicated, the governor of the castle suspended beams on the outside of the fort

ress by ropes, which were made fast to the battlements. The assailants arrived by night, planted their ladders and receiving an answer from their supposed confederate, began to ascend, when the captain or commander of the garrison caused the ropes to be cut, and the suspended beams tumbling down on the ladders, crushed at once those who were in the act of descending, or were crowded together beneath. A common stratagem having been thus eluded in an extraordinary manner, the king's party resolved to assail Niddrie by open force; and to deter them from their purpose, the queen's lords issued from Edinburgh, attacked Merchiston with cannon, pierced the wall with bullets, and swept from the adjacent fields a considerable spoil of cattle. But while the garrison were entering into some treaty of surrender, a number of country people, attracted by the noise of the firing, appeared so unexpectedly, and in such numbers as to startle the besiegers, who, conceiving themselves on the point of being attacked by Morton's whole force, gave over their attack on the little fortalice, and withdrew in such disorder that they were assailed by Morton with advantage, and put to flight, throwing away their weapons, and losing some prisoners. After this, we read of another skirmish in which the garrison of Merchiston, interposing to rescue a booty which the Edinburgh soldiers were driving out of the fields, were put to the worst, Patrick Home of Polwart (an ancestor of the Marchmont family) slain, with Home of the Heuch, and others, while the riders lost only one horseman by a shot from the tower of Merchiston.

66

Such were the transactions of that wild time, when the seats of the barons and gentry around Edinburgh were made fortresses, to be defended to the last extremity, or carried at the point of the sword; and when, according to the authority from which we derive these particulars, you might have seen the father against the son, and the brother against the brother, some for the defence of lawful authority, others for gain; and the inhabitants of the good town so far divided among themselves, that they spared not to come against each other in hostility as against a foreign and ancient enemy."*

We have touched on those sad times, to illustrate the history of the country. But it is not from the petty incidents of a cruel civil war that Merchiston derives its renown, but as having been the residence of genius and of science. The celebrated John Napier of Merchiston was born in this weather-beaten tower, according to the best accounts, about the year 1550; and a small room in the summit of the building is pointed out as the study in which he secluded himself while engaged in the mathematical researches which led to his great discovery.

To the inventor of the logarithms (called from him Napier's bones), by which process the power of calculation is so much increased,

The Historie of King James the Sext. Edinburgh, 1804.

David Hume, no grantor of propositions, declares the title of a great man is more justly due, than to any other whom his country ever produced. Yet the sublime genius which marked, by the logarithmic canon, the correspondence betwixt arithmetical and geometrical progression, had his weak points. Napier, like Newton, wasted time in endeavouring to discover the mysteries of the apocalypses,* and to ascertain prophecies, which, if intended for our instant comprehension, would (with deep respect we speak it) have been expressed more clearly; but which, so far as our weak intellects can descry, seemed to be designed for proofs of the Christian religion, which shall emerge, like so many others, when the event, very different probably from all that could have been conjectured à priori, shall explain that which was spoken by the prophet.

Neither was the great Napier above the superstition of his age, but believed in the connexion betwixt the mathematical and what were called the occult sciences. At least, all we know of his character inclines us rather to believe that Napier was a dupe to his own imagination, than that he desired to impose upon the opposite party, in a celebrated and very curious contract made in July, 1594, betwixt him and the noted John Logan of Restalrig. This person, renowned for his turbid ambition and dark cupidity, by which he was finally involved in Gowrie's strange and mysterious conspiracy, sets forth, that from all reports and appearances, there was treasure concealed in his old ruinous fortress of Fastcastle, on the verge of the German Ocean, near Saint Abbs-Head; and stipulates, that "John Napier should do his utmost diligence to search and seek, and by all craft and engine to find out the same, or make it sure that no such thing is there." For his reward he was to have the exact third of what was found, and to be safely guarded by Logan back to Edinburgh, with the same. And in case he should find nothing, after all trial and diligence taken, he refers the satisfaction of his travels and pains to the discretion of Logan.†

[A plaine discovery of the whole Reuelation of St. John, set downe in two treatises the one searching and prouing the true interpretation thereof; the other applying the same paraphrastically and historically to the text: whereunto are annexed, certaine Oracles of Sibylla, agreeing with the Reuelation and other places of Scripture. Edin. 1593, 4to; Lon. 1611; Edin. 1641, 1645, 4to.]

It is curious to observe, that amongst the professors of astrology and other occult sciences, who abounded in England in the beginning of the sixteenth century, was a Dr Napper of Sandford, in Buckinghamshire, who, according to that excellent judge Lilly, "outwent Forman in physic and holiness of life (which, by the way, required no great stretch of sanctity), cured the falling sickness perfectly by constellated rings, some diseases by amulets," &c. This person was probably of the stock of the Scottish Napiers, though his family had been settled in England since Henry the Eighth's time. A doubt being started whether his brother, a Turkey merchant, could prove himself a gentleman of three descents, with a view to being made a baronet, King Jamie took the matter on his own knowledge, saying, “By my saul, I will certify for Napper, that he is of above three hundred years standing in his family, all of them, by my saul, gentlemen." It is possible, however, that the British Solomon tendered his evidence thus readily, because his palm itched for the baronet's fees.-See Lilly's History of his Life and Times, 1774, p. 11.