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Tue Union oF 1707 IN DUMFRIESSHIRE. 99 
advised in what he votes and that he shall have all due regard to 
the security of the Protestant religion as now established by law, 
and to the honour, safety, and interest of the kingdom, and to the 
rights, privileges, and municipal laws thereof. And the Council 
recommends to the Provost to send an Extract hereof to him.’’ 
Probably the members of the other burghs took a similar course, 
but there is no record of this. The minutes of the Town Council 
of Annan are rather meagre, and do not contain any reference to 
the Union, while the minutes of the Town Councils of Loch- 
maben and of Sanquhar have not been preserved so far back. 
The county minutes are also awanting, and we are therefore 
unable to ascertain whether the county members applied to their 
constituents for their views upon the Union. However, certain 
of their constituents did issue “instructions’’ to them, and, 
luckily, a copy thereof has been preserved in Dumfries Observa- 
tory (Appendix I.). In this document is pointed out “That if 
you give our votes for ratifying and confirming the said Articles, 
we must resign and lose our Crown, Sovereignty, Independence, 
and our Parliament; and by unavoidable consequence, these 
three great and valuable interests, to wit, our Church Government 
by law established, our liberty, and our trade ;’’ the argument as 
to the advantage of community of trade with England is contro- 
verted on the ground that this is “most uncertain and of a long 
view ;’’ and, after a strong statement that the power to represent 
the County in Parliament did not authorise them to conclude a 
union with England without a special mandate, the document 
concludes as follows :—* Upon the consideration whereof, we, by 
these our instructions, specially require you, our commissioners 
and delegates, that when any of the said Articles of Union, which 
we have declared prejudicial to our interests, are proposed, 
motioned, or overtured by any member, or members of Parlia- 
ment, to be ratified and past into a law, that you expressly give 
your vote against the same; and that you neither treat, vote, nor 
determine in any matter which may relate to the surrendering and 
resigning of any of our foresaid privileges, dignities, rights, and 
interests, without advising and consulting your constituents, and 
procuring from them their special warrant for that effect. And 
these, our sentiments and resolutions about the matters above 
specified, are signed and signified by us, the barons, freeholders, 
heritors, and others, within the Sheriffdom of Dumfries, at Dum- 
