Tue Union or 1707 In DUMFRIESSHIRE. 107 
of Edinburgh was requested to call the Convention together “ in 
case the great concern of ane Union with England comes to be 
laid before, and considered by Parliament.’”’ On 15th October, 
Sir Samuel M‘Lellan, the then Lord Provost, accordingly did 
convene such a meeting, and his missive was considered by the 
Town Council of Dumfries on 21st October, and the meeting 
elected William Copland of Colliston, the then Provost, as their 
commissioner to the Convention, with Alexander Barclay, one of 
the Bailies, as his assessor. The missive was further considered 
on 25th October, in view of the request therein that special in- 
structions should’ be given to the commissioner, and the meeting 
appointed “ Bailies Corbet and Ewart, Provost Rome, the Dean, 
Baillie Kennan, Treasurer Gilchrist, the Convener and any two 
Deacons he pleased to bring with him, as a committee or major 
part of them, to meet with the said commissioner and assessor, 
and consider the Articles of Union agreed by the Commissioners 
of Scotland and England, and to draw up instructions to the said 
commissioner and assessor.’’ The Council minutes do not show 
what these instructions were, but on 19th November the Provost 
reported that he and his assessor “had attended and waited on 
the said Convention during the sitting thereof, and had walked 
according to the town’s instructions to them.’’ Lochmaben was 
also represented at this Convention, but there was no representa- 
tion from either of the burghs of Sanquhar or Annan. The Con- 
vention met on 29th October, and again on 4th and 5th Novem- 
ber, on which last mentioned date they unanimously resolved to 
present an address to Parliament, the terms of which had been 
_ adjusted after debate. This address is directed “To His Grace 
_ Her Majesties High Commissioner, and the Right Honourable 
the Estates of Parliament,’’ and after stating the Convention’s 
objection to an incorporating union and the fear of increased 
_ taxation and of Scots interests suffering in a British Parliament 
wherein Scotland was only allowed a “ mean representatione,”’ 
_ the address concludes as follows:—‘ We therefor humbly sup- 
plicat your grace and the honourable estates of Parliament, and 
do assuredly expect that yow will not conclude such ane in- 
_corporating union as is contained in the articles proposed, but 
_ that yow will support and maintain the true reformed protestant 
religione and church government as by law established, the 
“sovereignty and independency of this crown and kingdome, and 
