This Address on Scottish History was delivered on November 23rd, 1897, in Dowell's Rooms, Edinburgh, when Lord Rosebery, as President, took the chair at the Annual Meeting of the Scottish History Society.

SCOTTISH HISTORY

WHAT is the prospect that the report holds out to us as regards publication? In the first place, we have the books for next year; "The Papers Relating to the Scots Brigade," at the Hague, which is a subject of singular and original interest, which, I am sure, we shall welcome. Then there comes the "Montreuil Correspondence," which will throw light on what, I think, all will acknowledge to be a very obscure part of Scottish history, and which will furnish invaluable material to the historian. Then we have "The Accompt Book of Wedderburn" during the end of the sixteenth and part of the seventeenth century, which, I think, falls closely within the scope of what we had in view when we founded the society, to throw

light on the life of the country and the people, and I am sure nothing can do that so much as the Scottish accompt books which we have been privileged to inspect and to publish. But, if I may say so, the bonne bouche, in my opinion, of all that is held out to us is "The Memorials of John Murray of Broughton." We all remember the famous story of Sir Walter Scott's father and the mysterious stranger who partook of tea in Sir Walter Scott's father's house, and the father Scott throwing the tea-cup out of the window and saying, "Neither lip of me or mine comes after Mr. Murray of Broughton's." That is a singular and sinister incident, and the memory of Murray of Broughton is not altogether savoury in the nostrils of history, but, for all that, that only makes the publication of his own apologia the more interesting. I have been privileged, owing, I suppose, to my official position, to have a private taste of this publication, and I can assure you that your anticipations will not be disappointed, and that you will not regret the delay which has enabled Mr. Fitz

roy Bell to add a considerable number of original papers from the Record Office and from Her Majesty's collection at Windsor to that book. The only part I have not seen of the book is perhaps that which we shall all like the best, which is the introduction by Mr. Fitzroy Bell. But that is a part which cannot be hurried, and I am assured it is in good progress, and it will make the volume additionally welcome when it comes.

Will you forgive me if I say one or two words on the general scope and work of our society? In doing so, I feel rather reminded of the speech by the late genial Sir George Harvey, the President of the Royal Scottish Academy, which I heard him make at one of the banquets of the Academy, which have, unfortunately, fallen into abeyance. Sir George Harvey was delighted with the exhibition, and he made a speech which amounted in brief to this : there never was such an Academy and there never were such pictures. Well, that is my view of our society. I shall I shall express it quite frankly; there never were such publications.

I

you

so much be said?

privileged to do?

very much doubt if any one can find any serious fault with anything that the society has done or with any publication that the society has put forward, and I venture to ask of what other society known to you can What is it we have been What is the gap that we have been enabled to fill up? I think all our publications are valuable. I am sure they are. But some epochs and some subjects appeal more especially to some than to others, and I think that we may say that on two subjects of great importance we have been enabled to do a good work-work which perhaps no other society could have done. Besides that, I flatter myself-but here I cannot carry my contention into the region of proof-that we have done much more than simply instruct by our publications. We have done something in the way of inspiration to writers, and of inducing many to tread the field of Scottish history who might not have been so attracted except by our publications. I will take one book, the author of which is personally unknown to me, and which I have read and