Nov 13 in martial exercises he fhewed his want of fear. When all the spectators of a new object, the throwing of bombs, discovered their anxiety for their own safety, the young prince struggled to obtain a near inspection; and was scarce to be with-held by the tears of his mother, the prayer of his brother, or the intreaties of the nobility. When travelling in foreign kingdoms, what dangers did he not despise for the renovation of Rufsia. Sailing on the unstable whirlpools of the ocean, was to him an amusement : How often were the billows, curling their proud tops, witnefses of his undaunted boldnefs; cut by the swift flying fleet, raging against the fhips and joining with mad flame, and metal roaring through the air, they united to form a common danger; but him they frighted not. Who without terror can represent to themselves Peter on the plains of Poltawa, darting through this arrayed troops, amid a hail of inimical bullets whizzing around his head, and, his voice elevated above the general clangor, encouraging his soldiers to a bold attack. And you sultry Persia! neither your rapid streams, nor faithlefs bogs, nor the precipices of your lofty hills, nor empoisoned fountains, nor burning sands, nor the unexpected! attacks of your inconstant nations, could prevent the progrefs of our hero; could prevent his. triumphant entrance into your cities, filled with perfidy, and concealed arms.

To be continued.

ON THE DELAYS INCIDENT TO THE COURT

OF SESSION

Continued from vol. xvii p. 283.

To the Lord President of the Court of Session.

MY LORD,

LETTER VII.

AFTER the scheme of division is lodged, the creditors are always allowed to see it, and give in their objections in the same manner as in the case of the state and order of ranking; but objections are very rarely made against the scheme, which is carefully framed upon the principles of previous judgements.

Still, however, the creditors must have time to examine it; and much time and many inrollments are usually wasted before it is finally approved of.

The expedient of printing is therefore necefsary in the one case as well as the other; but it would be too expensive to print the whole of the scheme. The last account in the division, which apportions the fund, fhews in one view, how far the allotment appears to be just. It will therefore be sufficient to print this last account; as the creditors or rather their doers, can resort to the scheme itself in the clerk's hands, and in half an hour's time can examine and take notes from it, in order to review the VOL. Xviii.

principles, and check the calculations at their lei sure, and so satisfy themselves in every respect.

It is almost impofsible to touch upon every cir cumstance that occasions delay in a process of this nature. But if the leading particulars are provided for, in the first place, improvements will naturally follow as to the rest. Making oath upon the verity of the debt is one; for it is often delayed for years, as being a thing that can be done almost at any time while the process continues in court. The delay of renewed commifsions is not the only evil arising from this; for the intermediate death of a credi tor is no uncommon occurence; and in that case an oath of credulity by his representative comes in place of the check upon the original creditor himself, of a direct and pointed oath of verity, which would oblige him to specify the real state of the case, and to mention every counter claim and deduction.

For this reason I submit to your lordship that a regulation ought to be made, prohibiting the clerks from receiving the grounds of debt of any creditor, with out his producing an oath of verity along with them; and further, making it competent for the creditors, to depone without any previous commifsion issued by the court, as is done at present in the case of sequestrations under the late bankrupt law.

Some new regulations I find, are in contemplation for saving time and expence to the creditors in other respects; one of which is to have edictal citations given, and letters of publication executed, only at the market crefs of Edinburgh, and pier and

fhore of Leith, and not also at the parish churches,

as is done at present.

Another is, to provide, that in a ranking and sale at the instance of a creditor, the decree of sale fhall have the effect of a general adjudication in favour of all the personal creditors; which is already the case in a sale and ranking at the instance of an apparent heir.

The former alteration is generally approved of, as it only diminishes the businefs of country messengers; but the other, which must affect the interest both of the practitioners, and of the officers of court, is not relished.

Both regulations have my hearty concurrence; though neither are of the same description with those that I have here submitted to your lordship. My aim and object would be, if pofsible, to lay the common agent under a necessity to give his edictal citations, and to apply for and obtain warrant for letters of publicaton, and publish his sale, all against a day certain, without leaving room for delay in any one stage of the cause.

So far as this is practicable, it is better accomplished by the restraint of forms and regulations, than by any overruling power in the court: because such a power may be well administered at one time, and much neglected at another. All courts are also liable to err and be misled, as to the conduct of parties, besides that every thing under their power remains subject to doubt and dispute.

We accommodate ourselves at once to the necefsity of an established general rule; whereas in the other

Nov. 13. case, it would be natural for us to study the tempers of a numerous bench of judges, and endeavour to interest their passions and prejudices in our own favour, perhaps at a great expence of time and money; and after all, the result could not be so satisfactory even to a party, as a uniform compliance with a well digested regulation. I remain &c.

LENTULUS.

THOUGHTS ON THE EFFECT OF CLIMATE IN ALTERING

TH QUALITY OF WOOL, SUGGESTED BY READING DR PALLAS'S ACCOUNT OF RUSSIAN SHEEP. BY THE EDITOR.

DR PALLAS, whose attention to the economical his tory of the sheep deserves the highest commendation, while the justnefs of his observations in general, considering the imperfect information he could receive from the people with whom he conversed on this subject, discovers an astonishing degree of philosophic acumen, has been induced, from facts that occurred to himself in his own peregrinations, to believe that a variation of climate has a powerful effect in altering the quality of the wool of fheep; and that extremes of heat and cold alike tend to render the fleece coarse and hairy. The subject is too important in its consequences to be passed over slightly; and the following hints are thrown out with a view to lead to a more particular investigation of it, before any final conclusions are adopted.