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Tue Union oF 1707 IN DUMFRIESSHIRE. 105 
thing like troops, was a manifest forgery.”” On 29th 
November the Lord Chancellor reported these disturbances to 
Parliament, and presented a letter from the Magistrates of Dum- 
fries to Her Majesty’s Advocate, bearing an account of the 
abuses and tumultuary meeting in that place with a declaration 
emitted by those who met, which was affixed to the “ Mercat 
Cross of Dumfries ;’’ and after some discussion a proclamation 
against all tumultuary and irregular meetings and convocation 
_ of the lieges was passed ; it proceeds in name of the Queen, and 
is addressed to “Our Lyon-King at Arms and his brethren, 
heraulds, pursevants, massers, and messengers at arms, our 
Sheriffs in that part conjunctly and severally,’’ and it concludes 
as follows:—‘“ Our will is herefore, and we charge you that ye 
pass to the Mercat Cross of Edinburgh, and Mercat Crosses of 
Dunfreis, Lanerk, and Glasgow, and other places needful, and 
there make publication hereof by open proclamation of the 
premises that none may pretend ignorance, and ordain these pre- 
sents to be printed, and our solicitors to send copies hereof to the 
magistrats of the respective burghs above-mentioned for that 
effect.’’ Parliament returned next day to the consideration of 
the’ declaration affixed to the Market Cross of Dumfries, and re- 
mitted to a committee to take trial and make enquiry anent the 
printer of the paper, who, luckily for him, was never discovered ; 
further, not to be outdone in dramatic effect by their opponents, 
they ordered “ that the said scurrilous print be burn’d by the hand 
of the Common Hangman at the Mercat Cross of Edinburgh 
upon Monday next, between eleven and twelve of the clock, and 
the magistrats of Edinburgh appointed to see the orders punctu- 
ally executed.”’ 
A CLERICAL PROTEST. 
Before leaving this part of my subject, I must refer to a 
petition against the Union, which is minuted as an “.Address of 
a body of people in the South and Western Shires, subscribed 
by Mr John Hepburn and other seven persons,’’ received in 
Parliament on 12th November (Appendix IV.). Mr Hepburn 
was “ Minister of the Gospel at Orr, in Galloway,’’ but had been 
deposed by the General Assembly from that charge, in which, 
however, he was reinstated. He was a very staunch Presby- 
terian, and the address in question, which is strongly imbued 
with his own personality, is a characteristic piece of ecclesiastical 
