would furnish Salt-Pans with Fire all the Year round. The Coast of each fand affords many Thousand Loads of Seaware, which if pres ferved, might be fuccefsfully used for making Glafs and likewife Kelp for Soap; feveral of the flinds afford great Quantities of fine Clays which if improved might turn to a good Account in making Earthen Ware of all fort. Cod and Ling as well as leffer Fish, are to be had on the Coafts of the leffer as well as the greater Inlands; and what has been faid of the Western Ifles, may be faid likewife of the lies of Ork ney and Schetland. B b 2 THE T M Onarchy being the ancienteft and perfectcft Govern ment in the World, and moft agreeable to the People of Scotland, it has continued under that Form ever fince it became a diftin&t Kingdom from South Britain. It has enjoyed the fame Advantages which have diftinguished the English Monarchy, that it has never been enslaved to the Will and Pleafure of Arbitrary Tyrannical Sovereigns. It was Hereditary, the Crown defcending from the Father to the Son, and to his Heirs, and for want of Sons, to the Eldest Daughter and her Heirs; for want of Daughters, to the Brother and his Heirs; and for Want or Incapacity of a Brother, to the Sifter and her Heirs. When the next Heir was under Age, or incapable of Government, the next of the Line was made King, who enjoyed the Crown during his Life, but it did not go to his Sons, but to the Heirs of the former King, provided they were of Age and capa ble ble of the Adminiftration. In those Days Superftition had not blinded Men's Eyes, or divefted them of Reafon fo far as to think, that there was any thing Divine or Sacred in any Race of Mankind which was ex traduce, and propagated from Father to Son in the ordinary Way of Generation, Whatever was Sacred in Kings, the ancient Scots afferted it belonged to his Office, and that being derived from the People, they never dreamed it came from Heaven, as After-Ages did, being deluded by Romish Prieftcraft, whereby every Civil Inftitution, nay, even Lands, Perfons, and whatever the Prieft pleased, was made Sacred; and thefe Artifices the Church of Rome borrowed from the Egyptians and Eaftern Countries, which were ever prone to Idolatry, and tertile in Flattery, as we fee from the Sacred and Profane Writers. The Salique Law, or Caftom of France, Turky, and other Barbarous Countries, have no Force here. It was alfo an Independent Monarchy, owing no Subjection to the Pope, or to any other Potentate in the World, nor did the Subjects pay Allegiance to any Prince, but their own Native Sovereign. It's true indeed the Original of Government in Scotland, is a Point that has been much debared by fome of their own Hiftorians, who to this Day reprefent it very differently; fome are fo indulgent to the Peoples Claim of Right, that 'tis no wonder to fee their Followers carry it very high on that fide, and derive it exprefly from the People; who when they were under a neceffary Conftraint by reafon of Wars, transferr'd their Power to Fergus Son of Ere, and created him their firft King; but on the other Hand, fuch Conclutions were drawn from thofe Principles, as were prejudicial to the Right of Princes in general, as well as the Monarchy of Scotland in particular; and this occafion'd a fevere Act of Parliament against the Slanderers of the King, his Progenitors, and the Estates of the Kingdom, in the Reign of K. James VI. The Terror of this Statute, feconded by the Arguments of Great and Learned Men, prevail'd for fome time; but within half an Age, the Republicans, or rather the Oppofers of the Power which the Kings of Scotland had formerly claim'd, were as rife as ever, and their Libels against the Monarchy as numerous; but they were fo effectually oppofed by Arguments from Antiquity, Law, and the Reafons alledg'd against 'em, that they have almoft totally disappear'd in the prefent Age, which univerfally condemn'd fuch Opinions, and have now by joyning with the English in fettling the Succeffion upon the next Pro teltant Heir, declared that they are refolved to maintain that Succeffion under which they have been fo long, and fo profperously Govern'd. CHA P. II. Of the King of Scotland; and therein, of his Name, Title, Perfon, Office, Supremacy, and Sovereignty, Power and Prerogative, Dominions, Strength, Patrimony, Arms and Refpect. Tame.] The Name of King is contracted from Coning or Cyning, an ancient Saxon Word, derived from Knowledge or Ability to do Bufinefs, which is the nobleft Part of Government; the Surname of the Scottish Kings for 300 Years was Stuart. upon the account of an Office given to Walter, Father of Rebert II King of Scotland from whom the Kings and Queens of that Rice are defcended. He was Grand Seneschal or High Steward or Stuart of Scotland, and (as other great Offices) became from a perfonal Tile to be used as a Surname of the Kings of Scotland, and of many illuftrious Families defcended from them. itle.] The Scots Kings generally took the fame Titles as the English: King Edgar of England filed himself Bafileus, and fo did King Edgar of Scotland. King John of England changed the fingular Number into the Plural in all publ ck Inftruments, and foon atter King 4lexander II. of Scotland did the fame. The common Compellation of the Scottijh Kings, was Dominas Rex and fometimes Illuftriffimus Dominus Ligeus and about K. James III's time, Metuendiffimus. In fpeaking to them they were called Grace, Highness and at 1 ft Majefty: But their Tits have varied in fome Reigns, tor K. William I. had the Title of Defender of the Church, given him by the then reigning Pope, as that of Protector of the Chriftian Faith was afterwards conterr'd on James IV. and there was no continued one peculiar to them except that of, By the Grace of God King of Scotland, England, France and Ircland, which till abrogated by the late Union of the Two Crowns, wou'd otherwise have endured to Perpetuity. The King's only Teftimony of any thing done in his Prefence, is of as high a Nature and Credibility as any Record, and in all his Writs and other Difpatches of that Kind, he ufcs no other Witness but himself. As to what relates to the Perfon, Office, Sovereignty, Pow= er, and zerogative, rms, &c. of the King, the late Hap py Union of the Two Kingdoms, has render'd 'em one and the fame almost in England and Scotland; and therefore we beg leave for Brevity, to refer the Reader to what has been faid upon the fame Subje& in the Account of England. Dominions. The ancient Dominions of the Kings of Scotland, confider'd as an Independent Country, divided from England, ex e ded over all that Tract of Land which reaches from the River Tweed to Carboom, as has been already defcribed: encompafs'd on the Weft by by the Irif Sea, on the North by the Deucaledonian, on the Eaft by the German Ocean; together with all the Iflands that encompass it to the Weft, and to the North, which are of confi erable Ex ent, and would be of vaft Advantage, to the Inhabitants f Great Britain, if they were improved as far as they are capable of Improvement. Strength.] The great Power and Strength of Scotland may be feen by the Wars which for fo many fucceffive Ages they waged with the Romans, Saxons, Danes and English; but though all the Subjects of Scotland be obliged to affift their Monarch in his Wars, yet a greater Enlargement of Power was added to that Foundation by Two Aas of Parliament. The Kingdom of Scotland offering the King to ru an Army of 20000 Foot, and 2000 Horfe, and to furnish them, with 40 Days Provifion, to march into any part of Scotland, England and Ireland, or to be employed in any other Service: And thefe Forces by another Act, were obliged to pay Obedience to all fich Orders as thould be given them by his Majefty's Privy-Council. And as they were thus ftrong by Land, their Naval Strength would foon have equalled it, were there a fuitable Fund adapted to that Service, fince they have all the neceffary Materials for Shipping growing in their own Countrey, and Men and Provifions in great Plenty. Patrimony.] The King's ancient Revenue confifle chifly in Crown Lands, which could not be alienated but by Act of Parliament, and in the Wards and Marriages of thofe that held any thing of the Crown; but of late Years moft of the former have been given away. and most of the Tenures of the latter chang'd, though there has been no general Law for taking away the Wards. The Revenues at this Day are raifed and eftimated as follows: The Excife of Ale and Beer, is 2 d. Sterling per The Cuftoms have been let at 34000 l. "Sterl The Crown Rents Communibus annis, about The Impofition for Coinage, The Land-Tax is now 36000l and to make 1. 50000 00 50000 00 5500 co d. 3000 00 00 S 2000 00 tled at 4800 00 co |