The Statesman.
London, England, 1818-02-13 00:00:00

• . •


RIGH7'S IN SCOTLAND.

110 THE EDITOR OF THE STATESMAN.
1/14—if: yes tbink the fallowing obsereations
worthy of a place in the Sr.drissmArr Newspape►,
'thesehject, now an impottankono to Scotland, will
le continued, by your obedient
Pimlico.

T. B.

- The Scots, before the Union of the two Crowns,.
in 1603, enjoyed a very considerable share of poli-
tical freedom ; indeed, if the People bed not felt the
benefits of their laws, they would not have made'
such prodigious efforts In repelling the Roman le.
gions, nor been able to withstand. the repeated at-
tacks of the Danes, and other northern invaders ;
To, it is onnatural to suppose that they would have
perserered for so many ages, against such powerful
- antagonists, unless their situation bad been easy and
to roforte.ble.
The Clans not only elected their Chiefs as late as
the days of BUCHANAN, but discharged them if
they behaved improperly ; and the Chiefs elected
their Kings till the reign of KaNNETU 111., after which
they %ere sometimes elective, and sometimes heredi•
levy; but they seldom, in the latter case, hesitated
to change the order of succession when the Prince
encroached upon their liberties. The King had the
tight of touching cell •Acts decreed by Parliament
with his sceptre, but he had not the right of withhold.
legit, They never submitted to :a Veto. The Members
of Parliament were shasen annually,and times of their
meetings and adjournments, at well as the appoint-
ment of Committees to guard the public tranquillity,
during the intervals of sitting, belonged exclusively
to themselves. The Parliament consisted only of
one gnus*, composed of Lords and country Gentle.
men, the borough Members, and the Clergy. The
Lords were very different from the modern Peers ;
they were the real proprietors of-the soil ; and if
they sold their estates they lost their right to sit in
Parliament. A title could stet aatborise a man to
. sport with the liberties of his fellow•snen. Their
. sings were neither in possession of the sword'uor the
'Ors.. They never attempted to enslave defenceless
. itatioesonor did-they deal in human blood. That
. 'lntermit:system of extorting money from the People,
and: its* ing their Delegates to betray-their interest
onknown ; bet since the union of the
...':Vosses; Scotland has undergone a complete change.
Thei*glish Ministers -have been constantly es-
. to Prerogative in Scotland. They made the
. stypetdosent there, before they enslaved their own
coostrymen. All Acts of Parliament made in fa-
*our of liberty in'Scotland, bat& been entirely omit-
ted in 'the late editions ; and some of the Scots
themselves have been extrern4l, active in -forging
Chains for their fellow-countrymen. In short, jut-
licehas beep bought and sold,and patriotism reckoned
•At disgrace. This mournful degeneracy had made
great progress in FLETCllER'itittleMdli pathetically
lamented by him in a speech made in Parliament, in
tbe• following words :•64 If any justice were to 'be
found in this nation, the advisers of these things'had
long since been brought to a scaffold. But as there
is no crime under Heaven more enormous, more
treacherouf, and more destructive to the very
nature of our Government, than that of brib-
ing Parliament, so there is nothing more com-
mon and barefaced ; and I think this Session should
have been opened by purging the noose from such
corrupt Members; which, if we had done, we had
not met with to many difficulties and obstructions of
the public service."
It would be unfair to judge of what Scotland was,
and what a great majority of the People now are,
from the ScotiMembers in the British House or Com.
mons. They neither represent the People oor the
property of the country. They are nominated by a
faction in the interest of the Coverts and the! . serve
the fuel .it with fidefity. Nor ought it to be forgot.
ten that it is in a great measure to BUCHANAN, who
66 arose in Scotland like a morning stir, to announce
the approach of philosophical day"—that Europe is
indebted for the little liberty she enjoys. In hire
were united the most elegant learning, with the most
liberal sentiments. lie defended the principles of
Representative Government, with an energy which
no former age had equalled, and no succeeding has
surpassed. lie drew the source of his information
'from the schools of antiquity; but he excelled thorn
all, in his Treatise concerning the Rights of the
People ; and was the first writer of any age or coon.
try, who maintained that the whole body of the Peo.
ply, without any exceptions of birth nr fortune, had
tint only a right to vote in chasing their Representa-
tives, but to reject their laws, provided they were
not agreeable to the public interest.

VOLTAIRE RESUSCITATE.D.—The heirs of M. BEIt.

TRAK°, a Protestant Minister at Berne, have dis-
covered, among the papers of that Clergyman, a
great number of unpublished letters of Vouratat.
most of which are in his own hand-writing, and all
of which hear his signature. It is said that they are
•to be forthwith published at Paria.•
The Exchange between London and Dublin is
greatly reduced. It is so. law as 7f. The Typhus
Fever, We regret to say, has, upon the whole, ex-
perienced no diminution in Ireland.' Some accounts,
on the contrary, state that it has increased in viru-
lence. It appears from the Dublin Papers, that an
0. P. war now rages in that city.
DREADFUL ATTEMPT AT SUlClDlL—Wednesday,
John Hyatt, a shoemaker, residing in Newton-
street, Holborn, after having a quarrel with his
wife, suddenly seized up his working knife and
plunged it into his breast. A Surgeon was fetched,
who dressed the wound, and immediately ordered him
to be taken to St. Bartholomew's Hospital. Hs now
dies in a very dangerous state.
Coats Excwinoc, Fan. 13.—The Market was well sap-
plied wish Wheat this morals% ; line sample% at blootlar's
priees.—Beurts Is. dearer.—lu Barley, Peas, and (user articles
so alteration.
' 'SMITHFIELD MARKET, Fap. 13.
To bolt the Ugal. per moue of bibs.
Beef ... 34. 81 to 4s. 61.1 Head et Cattla this day r 6641
Manse . as. 61. a, 5.. W NAM.
Yeas . 51 61.. t, 6s. Id. Sheep and Lambs ...• 3.150
Pura ... 51. Od to 6s 0.1. Calvet
Lamb ...08. Of. to 0%. 01. Pigs
HAY-MARKET.
Hay
Clover
Straw