months last past." At the succeeding May court, James Frame was presented "for a breach of the Sabbath in unnecessarily travelling ten miles," and was fined five shillings.

May 30th, 1751.-"The petition of John David Wilpirt setting forth that he had been at considerable trouble and expense in coming from the Northward and settling in these parts and that he has rented three lots in the newerected town of Staunton, through which runs a good and convenient stream of water for building a mill-and praying leave to build a grist and fulling mill,-was read," &c. The petition was opposed by John Lewis, who had a mill within a mile of town, and the case was taken to the General Court.

Aug. 28th.-"Robert McClanahan, Gent., Sheriff, having informed the court that Henry Witherington, a servant boy belonging to John Stevenson, was in jail, and that he had an iron lock around his neck with a gag in his mouthit is ordered by the court that he immediately take off the same." The numerous applications to the court in relation to indented servants, show that there were many of them in the county at that day.

Aug. 29th." Ordered that the Sheriff employ a workman to make a ducking stool for the use of this county, according to law." The use of the ducking stool is explained in the following extract from the work of a celebrated law writer of the last century:-"A common scold, communis rixatrix, (for our law latin confines it to the feminine gender,) is a public nuisance to her neighborhood. For which offence she may be indicted; and if convicted, shall be sentenced to be placed in a certain engine of correction called the trebucket, castigatory, or cucking stool, which in the Saxon language is said to signify the scolding stool; though now it is frequently corrupted into ducking

stool, because the residue of the judgment is, that, when she is so placed therein, she shall be plunged in the water for her punishment."

Next we have a specimen of Scotch Irish loyalty:

Nov. 27th "The grand jury present Owen Crawford for drinking a health to King James and refusing to drink a health to King George." Owen found it to his interest to leave the county about that time, and at the succeeding June court, the presentment was dismissed, on the motion of the King's attorney. The King James referred to, was the Pretender, son of James II, who was declared King with the title of James III, by the rebels in Scotland, in 1715.

Nov. 27th, 1751.-"The court proceeded to lay the county levy, and allowance was made for 224 wolves' heads. Robert Breckenridge produced sixteen, and Alex. Wright fifty-one, which were assigned to them. Fifty thousand and six hundred pounds of tobacco was the amount paid . for them.

:

Nov. 29th, 1750.-"The Rev. John Todd, a Dissenting minister, came into court, and took the oaths prescribed by act of Patliament to be taken instead of the oaths of allegiance and supremacy and the abjuration oath, and made and subscribed the test, which, on his motion, is or-dered to be certified."

March 22nd, 1753.-" Henry Lancisco, a German Protestant, having produced a certificate from a Protestant clergyman of his having taken the sacrament, and made oath of his being an inhabitant of this colony upwards of twelve years, and having taken the usual oaths, certificate is granted him for obtaining letters of naturalization."

having come into court and abused William Wilson, Gent., one of the Justices for this county, by calling him a rogue,

and that on his coming off the bench "she would give it to him with the devil"-its therefore ordered that the Sheriff take her into custody," &c.

March 17th, 1756.-" Francis Farguson being brought before this court by warrant under the hand of Robert McClanahan, Gent., for damning Robert Dinwiddie, Esq., (Governor of the Colony,) for a "Scotch pedling son of a bitch," was found guilty, but was excused on apologizing and giving security to keep the peace.

November 24th, 1755.-" Ordered that the court be adjourned until tomorrow morning at seven o'clock." Eight was the usual hour for meeting, and even that, in these degenerate times, would be considered most unreasonably early.

In those days people came to Staunton to attend Court from the waters of New River on the one hand, and from the Pennsylvania line on the other-and from the West as far back as the settlements extended. Among the business which they came to transact, not the least important was to exchange their wolf scalps and peltries for the few necessaries of life which they could not raise or manufacture at home, and which were brought across the mountain on pack horses. On such occasions the town was crowded with people, most of whom wore hunting shirts and moccasons; and many of them, doubtless, had rather the appearance of savage than of civilized men. But under a rude exterior they bore brave and honest hearts. They were men of stern integrity, of untiring energy, of indomitable resolution. The descendants of the Scotch Irish

settlers of the Valley of Virginia have no reason to be ashamed of their ancestry.

Staunton.

J. A. W.

THE MEETING OF THE MERCHANTS,

Held in Williamsburg, in 1770.

[We find the following paper in the Virginia Gazette of June 28th, 1770, from which we copied the Account of the Associa tion formed in Williamsburg, on Friday, the 22nd of said month, in our last number; and readily submit it to our readers, as it may serve to give them some idea of the Merchants, and the state of trade in our Colony, at that period.

We append also, from the same journal, an Address to the Merchants and Traders in Virginia, by an author who does not subscribe his name, but appears to write with authority; and whose communication furnishes us with another sample of the spirit and temper of the times.]

Ta meeting of the MERCHANTS, at the house of Mr. Anthony Hay (present Mr. ANDREW SPROWLE, Chairman to the Trade, and other members.)

RESOLVED, that a committee be appointed to take under their consideration the general state of the trade of this colony, and that it be composed of the following Gentlemen:

For Norfolk and Princess Anne.

The Chairman.

Mess. Neill Jameson.

John Taylor.

William Aitchison.
John Lawrence.
John Hutchings.
Anthony Walke.
George Logan.
Matthew Phripp.
John Greenwood.
Archibald Campbell.
Paul Loyall.
Portsmouth.

Mess. Robert Shedden.
Humphrey Roberts.
Thomas Hepburn.
James Marsden.