Permit me sir, to say a few words more, on another source of riches to these islands, which equally falls into, my ordinary pursuits, and which I think if made the most of, would greatly facilitate their cultivation and encourage the fishery.. I mean the fofsil treasure with which providence has enriched some of them, for I have specimens of marbles in my collection from the island of Tiree, which profefsor Pallas, and our other profefsional mineralogists. think, with me, equal to any pofsefsed by either ancients or moderns; particularly a rose coloured marble spotted with green or black horl of singular beauty, and a white that rivals the Parian. Now let us only suppose, that a taste fhould arise amongst your affluent British nobility and gentry, to ornament their London residence with these beautiful marbles, a thing not impofsible, instead of bestowing all their superfluous wealth upon their country seats, often hid in a manner in the provinces, (a trait of national character which has not escaped the observation of foreigners:) two consequences would be the natural result of such a happy and noble mode of employing a little superfluous richefs, that London would become the capital of the. modern world for beauty and elegance, as it is already for wealth and commerce, and secondly that the lesser islands would become flourishing and populous in proportion to their extent and natural resources, which is by no means the case at present, whilst I am convinced that the whole expence of working and transporting these marbles by sea, would not exceed the cost of merely cutting the hard granite with which Petersburgh is so nobly ornamented, although only an infant city which was a morafs in the beginning of the present century. Jan. 21. However sir, in drawing so many inferences of what might be done in the British islands, from what is effected in this very northern climate, I forget that both you and a couple of noble lords whose names I see in the list of the board, (as given by the newspapers,) have visited us in person, and are able to appreciate my facts, so that I fhall insist no further on analogical reasoning in favour of the too long neglected islands, but assure you with much sincerity that no one will hear of the question being taken up with more satisfaction, than your Russian acquain ance Imperial Corps of October 1. 1793. Arcticus. P. S. If any attempts are made to cultivate these islands during my stay in Rufsia, we fhall furnish, with much pleasure, any required information relative to hardy northern grain, plants, trees, &c. that may best suit their climate and soil, if any such knowledge (hould be wanting to your very able secretary so distinguished for his acquirements in every thing relative to agriculture. ON THE POOR LAWS IN SCOTLAND. LETTER. V. Concluded from p. 307. Abstract of the remaining laws, and concluding observations THE remaining statutes concerning the poor in Scotland, consist of the our following proclamations by the lord's of the privy council, and their ratification by the par Jan. 21. liament. These are in general more loose and inaccurate in their exprefsions, and their enactments lefs perfectly defined than most of the former acts, so as to render it very difficult to perceive, on many occasions in what sense they are to be understood. The first of these proclamations was ifsued on the 11th of Aug. 1692. It requires "the heritors, minister, and " elders of every parish, to meet on the second Tuesday "of September next, at their parish-kirk, and there to "make lists of all the poor within their parish, and to " cast up the quota of what may entertain them according to their respective needs, and to cast the said quota "the one half upon the heritors, and the other upon "the householders of the parish; and to collect the same "in the beginning of every week, month, or quarter, as they shall judge most fit, and to appoint two overseers yearly to collect and distribute the said maintenance to the poor according to their several needs; and like"wise to appoint an officer to serve under the saids overseers, for inbringing of the maintenance, and for expelling stranger vagabonds from the parish, whose fee "is to be stented upon the parish as the rest of the main" tenance of the poor is stented." (Observe it is only for the fee of the officer, or as we now commonly call persons who discharge this office, thief-catcher, which is to be thus stented on the parish, and not that of the two overseers or collectors.) "And the heritors and "elders are hereby appointed to have a second meeting at the saids parifh-kiks this year, on the second Tuesday of October next, for a more exact settling of this matter: And yearly thereafter the heritors, minister, "and elders of every parish are to meet on the first Tuesday of February, and the first Tuesday of August year"ly, to consult and determine herein as thall be thought 36 "fit, for every ensuing half year, and to appoint overseers, by the year or half year, as they fhall con"clude " The Sherrifs are required to inforce this law, by subjecting delinquents to high penalties. Herutors are authorised to compel such as are able, to work, "furnishing them always with meat and cloth.” Heritors, MINISTER and ELDERS, are to take up children who are found begging under fifteen years of age, and put them to work in terms of the act 1617. Beggars to be apprehended, and sent to the parishes where they were born, under severe penalties: But in this act no mention is made of sending them to the parishes where they have last had their chief residence. And it concludes with requiring correction houses to be built in terms of the act 1672. On the 29th day of Aug. 1693 another proclamation was issued by the same, requiring that beggars which are taken up, shall be sent to the parishes where they have last resided seven years together," in cases "where "the parish or place of birth is not certain or distinctly "known *."" And we, with advice foresaid, require "and command the magistrates of our burghs-royal, to meet and stent themselves conform to such order and cus66 tom used and wont in laying on stents, annuities, or o"ther public burdens in the respective burgh, as may be 8c most effectual to reach all the inhabitants. And the "heritors of the several vacant (and wart) parishes like"wise to meet and stent themselves for the maintenance of * Observe, that here the time of residence is extended to seven years in place of three, as in most of the former acts; and that the place where they have resided even for seven years is not obliged to aintain them, if the place of their nativity he certainly known, * "their said respective poor; and to appoint the inga"thering, uplifting and applying of the same, for the uses "foresaid, sic like, and in the same manner as the beri 66 tors and elders are appointed by our said former pro"clamation." The inaccuracy in the wording of this act is extremly glaring. The heritors of vacant parishes though above expressed generally could only apply to landwart parishes; seeing by the foregoing clause, the magistrates of burghs were required to stent those in town; nor do we find in the the former proclamation referred to, that the heritors and elders are authorised to stent themselves for the maintenance of the poor, so that they seem not to have taken the trouble of reading that proclamation before ifsuing this one. There are in both of them, other striking nstances of carelefs inaccuracies which my limits alone prevent. pointing out. But here follows another clause that is very mysterious: "And further, for preventing any 66 question that may arise betwixt the heritors and kirk"sefsion in the several parishes of the kingdom, about "the quota of the collections at the church doors, and "otherwise, to be made by the said sefsion, to be paid in "to the heritors for the end foresaid; we do hereby, "with advice foresaid, determine the same to be the half of the said collections; and ordains the said kirk session to pay in the same from time to time to the saids he"ritors, or any to be by them appointed accordingly." What is to be done with the other half of the collections we are not told. Whether we are to understand that the heritors are here to have the charge of providing for the poor only who are capable of working, and of paying 'for their maintenance in part, while the session have the charge of the indigent poor only, in terms of the act 1663 we are left entirely to guess.. |