in the middle of a delightful plain, with its deep green ferny summit crowned with a Druidical circle, and its declivities white with sheep; the silvery links of Manor Water winding at its base, through fertile haughs and fields of grain; the aged trees scattered here and there along the bottom of the precipitous hills, the wild abodes of the goat, the raven, the fox, and the falcon; and the dark summits of the farther mountains towering over all,-present a burst of upland scenery not unworthy of arresting the notice of the traveller, even although it had never possessed the additional attraction of having been the residence of the illustrious Ferguson, as well as of the eccentric Dwarf of Manor Water." * The eccentric Dwarf, as the same writer states, also requested that a clump of rowan tree might be planted above his grave, on the Woodhill. A promise to this effect was given him. But he changed his mind on his death-bed, and was gathered to his fathers" like a decent Christian, in the churchyard of Manor. A TREATY BETWEEN THE KINGS OF GOA AND TALLO (CONFEDERATED PEOPLE CALLED ENGLISH-1615. (Communicated by John Crawfurd, Esq.) THE following paper is a curious instance of the jealousy with which the European nations were viewed on their first intercourse with India. The Macassar nation was then the most commercial of the East Insular tribes. They were the carriers of the Archipelago, and had a natural monopoly of the spice trade, not to say that they were paramount on their own native island of Celebes. Among the records of this people were found in our times treaties with various native and "A short Account of David Ritchie, with an elegy on his death: printed for the author, July 1816." This is curious, as having been in print some little time be fore the Tales of my Landlord appeared. But it was never published, and the au thor, whom we have conversed with, does not imagine that any of the few copies which he privately distributed could possibly have found their way to the hands of either Mr Peter Pattieson, or his learned and worthy patron, the Schoolmaster of Gandercleugh. FOUR Englishmen only shall reside at Macassar. The English shall not construct forts nor warehouses, nor express any desire to possess Macassar. The English shall not go into the interior of our country,-they shall take no cognizance of offences,→ they shall convert none of our people to their religion. In any disputes arising between them and us, they shall conform to the laws of our country. The English shall not commit any acts of hostility within our harbours, towards any other nation whatsoever. Whenever they come into our harbours they shall make us presents of fire-arms and ammunition. Before sailing, they shall pay the accustomed fees for weighing merchanshall farther wait upon the King of dise and the usual imposts; and they Goa, and ask his permission to proceed on their voyage. If a great man should come to our country on the part of the English, we, on our side, engage not to interfere between him and his dependents, provided he does nothing which is disagreeable to us. Such a person shall, on no account, purchase for slaves persons who profess the Mahommedan religion. In any affair which may arise between such great man and us, he shall follow the customs of our country; on his return home he shall deliver the present treaty to the King of England, that he may understand and acknowledge it, and forswear any claim to our country, or intention to do any thing hostile towards us, or listen to the affairs of the neighbouring countries, or of the states of our island. Lastly, When the English are in our harbours, our enemies shall be their enemies, but we shall take no part with them against theirs. Agreed upon on Tuesday, in the month of Moharram, year B. 1024 of the Hegira, corresponding with the Christian year 1615. STATE OF THE SCOTTISH ARMY UN- In the summer of 1640, an army Among these officers, one of the most eminent was Colonel Sir Alexander Hamilton [of Priestfield], general of the artillery, or master of the ordnance, a younger brother of Thomas first Earl of Haddington; and who, like the commander-inchief, had been recalled by, his countrymen from a distinguished station in foreign service, to take a share in that distracting and unhappy warfare with which his native kingdom was threatened. In a petition to the King and Parliament of Scotland, Colonel 66 not unknown Hamilton states it as that his whole study has been in the art of military discipline, especially anent artillery, wherein he being employed in Germany upon honourable and good conditions, he was recalled therefrom to England, where his majesty was graciously pleased to grant him pensions and allowances of eight hundred pound Sterling by year;" and in the history of the civil wars, his eminent services as a soldier, more especially in his own department of the ordnance, are commemorated. It was owing to his superior skill in the management of artillery that the affair at Newburn had been terminated so VOL. I. advantageously, and with such small In the month of August 1641, King 端 GENERALL LASLEY being aduer- The mechanical inventions of Colonel Fe H ming to Newcastle, that hee might In the first place stood Highlanders, commonly called Redshankes, with their plaides cast ouer their shoulders, hauing euery one his bowe and arrowes, with a broad slycing sword by his syde; these are so good markesmen that they will kill a deere in his speed, it being the chiefest part of their liuing, selling the skinns by great quantities, and feeding on the flesh. Next were musketeers, interlac't with pikes, and here and there intermixt with those dangerous short gunnes, inuented by that their famous engineer Sandy Hamilton, and were for the sudden execution of horse, in case they should assaile them: then again bowes, muskets, and pikes, for a good distance on both sides. In the midway, the artillery was placed by tiers, consisting of about 60 peices of ordnance, the cannoniers standing in readines with fired linstocks in their hands. The horsemen were here placed on both sides, which serued as wings or flankes for the whole army, and so forward in the same order, but disposed into so goodly a presence and posture, with such sutable equipage and millitarie accommodations, that they appeared ready to give or take battaile, or forthwith to have gone upon some notable designe. And as the king passed alog, they gave such true fyre, as it is beleeued, since the inuention of gunnes, neuer better was seene or heard; they discharged wondrous swift, but with as good a method and order as your skilfullest ringers observe with bels, not suffering the noyse of the one to drowne the other. The king received such contentment, that whereas his dinner was appointed and prouided at the maiors of New-castle, hee yet went and honoured Generall Lasley with his presence at dinner, who hath not only gained a good report with his majestie to be a brave souldier, but also a singular esteeme to be a most expert and able commander and generall, by such of our English officers as were then with his majestie. The manner of the Scots departure, and marching out of Newcastle. The Scots, when they marched out Newcastle, their artillerie being ced first forth with the cannoniers mounted vpon their carriages, aduanand some troops of horse; then most and other officers thereto belonging, them their prouision, baggage, and of the regiments of foot; after the foot, and all the rest taking their carriage; then followed the rest of ly manner. Being gone some foure leaves in a most brotherly and friendmiles from the towne, their generall hauing directed them to march forwards, he returned to Newcastle, accompanied with some few of his officers, causing the toll-bell to be rung Vp and downe the towne, proclaiming that if any of the towne were not yet from any of his officers or souldiers, satisfied for any thing due to them let them bring in their tickets and hee would pay them, which hee did accordingly, to the great content of the the generall and his whole armie. And townes-men, and much applause of after a solemne taking of his leave, he followed the armie, going all the way along with them in the reere, as they marched, and not any thing taken from any man in all their iourney, to ing the good esteeme of all that pastheir singular commendation, and gaynsed by. NOTICE RESPECTING THE PILNIEWINKS, AN INSTRUMENT OF TORTURE. MR EDITOR, IN a very able and amusing paper, in your August Number, on Thumbikens and other instruments of torture for merly used in Scotland, mention is made of the Pilniewinks. Whether the following anecdote may in any way illustrate the subject, I leave to your own decision, or, if you insert it, to that of your readers. Some years ago the writer of this article was in a large, and rather a mixed company, in the neighbourhood of Fordoun, in Mearns, and on some of the younger members expressing their mirth in rather a boisterous manner, an old man, half seriously, half jocularly, declared they should be put into the pilniewinks. As the word was a new one to me, I made inquiry as to its meaning, and was answered, that it was "pitting their finger in a box, and ca'ing in a pin aside it." The person I allude to is now gathered with his fathers," or more particular inquiry would have been made. Should it meet your approbation, I may, at a future period, send you a drawing and description of a set of "Witches' Branks," which I have seen; an instrument calculated for preventing the unfortunate wretches, whom the folly and superstition of the time consigned to a horrid death, from expressing their suffering when the most painful tortures were applied to them. I am, &c. J. S. Montrose, Sept. 23, 1817. STATISTICAL OBSERVATIONS ON THE legal, and as some of the leaders have A petition, presented by the opera- COMMERCE AND MANUFACTURES present constructed, and very few old ones unoccupied, which certainly indicates a stationary trade, verging towards decline; if it be at the same time considered, how very many old weavers have been sent back to their original employment, by the reduction of the navy, army, militia, and other establishments dependent on a state of warfare. The training of apprentices is certainly almost annihilated. The proximate cause of this state of the trade is very clearly the fluctuation and general decline in the wages of labour. This will be best explained by a detail of the actual facts. A printed list of the prices to be paid for weaving the most general descriptions of cotton goods, was published about the year 1790; and this list was regarded, for many subsequent years, as a standard, though subjected to occasional reduction, not vague or undefined, but bearing always a reference to the list itself. This system gradually changed into the practice of rendering all prices of labour dependent on mutual agreement between the employers and operatives, without reference to any general standard. This open mode of agreement was ultimately sanctioned by an act of Parliament, which provides, however, that manufacturers shall deliver to a weaver, along with every web, a ticket, upon which the agreement of the parties, as to the wages to be given, shall be distinctly specified. The variation of the prices of labour, computed from an average of the tickets of the most respectable houses, compared with the list of 1792, is given below. It is also to be observed, that the prices of plain goods, of a description for which there is always a certain demand, however limited, have been taken; because the vicissitudes occasioned by fancy and fashion, are always uncertain and suspicious. In the table, unity is taken as the rate of the maximum list 1792; the ratio of declension, since the year 1812, is expressed by the decimals. List of 1792 acted on until 1804, 1.00 1813, February, .52 .72 .62 .56 .46 .36 .32 .36 The fair inference resulting from this state of our great manufacture, which has absorbed so much capital and employed so many persons, becomes very obvious. It has been carried beyond those limits which the existing demand, to which the manufacturer can find access, will exhaust; and, although it must ever prove a great and beneficial trade to the country, within its legitimate sphere, it evidently has been, and is greatly overdone. Whatever depression of manufactures exists in the west of Scotland, must mainly be deduced from this source; a few remarks, therefore, may probably prove sufficient to ex plain the state of all or most of the others. Bleachers, dyers, cloth-lappers, and the other master tradesmen who are employed by the manufacturer of cloth, with separate establisments of their own, suffer less from the depression. Their situation is somewhat analogous to that of the spinner. The extent of the weaving manufacture fully employs them, and there is seldom sufficient competition amongst themselves to injure each other. Calico printers, who conduct all the processes of manufacture, and whose establishments require enormous capital and outlay, experience all the disadvantages of overstocked trade, without generally having any intermediate agent to divide the risk betwixt them and the exporter; they are, besides, subject to heavy duties of excise, which require a certain and additional capital, generally of great extent. As a counterpoise, the policy of their work, men has been directly opposed to that of the operative weavers; and their uniform endeavour has been to exclude operatives from the trade, and to obtain a monopoly against their employers. This has certainly kept the stock of printed goods lower in the market than it might otherwise have been, had this check not existed. Its illegality has not entirely prevented it from doing some good; though probably this was little in the contemplation of either of the parties interested. Connected with the cotton trade, the next and last branch to which any allusion is necessary, is the stocking or hosiery manufacture, the depression of which has also been great. In this manufacture, however, there is no particular locality; for none, perhaps, is more generally distributed over all Scotland. The policy of the manufacturers, in this department," has been directly the reverse of that followed by the manufacturers of cloth. Stocking frames are complex and costly machines, which capitalists only can generally acquire; and which are very soon rendered useless, without constant employment and attention. The policy, therefore, of the manufacturers has been, to restrict their men to a certain quantity of work, without dismissing them entirely. Many, however, have left the trade; and, as it is essentially laborious, and requires |