94 Transactions. 



wliom 6 are still represented by tlieir descendants among the 

 landlords of Dumfries, the date of the ballot was fixed for the 13 

 districts of the County, and the Dei)uty-Lieutenants of each 

 district were directed to superintend the same. It was also 

 agreed that farmers and farmers' sons should be recommended to 

 join one or other of the Yeomanry troops to be established in the 

 County, and each Deputy-Lieutenant was enjoined to establish, if 

 possible, at least one Volunteer Company in his disti-ict. The 

 Dumfries Militia were embodied in June, 1798, and along with 

 the Militia of Peebles, Selkirk, Roxburgh, Kirkcudbright, and 

 Wigtown they formed what was known as the Dumfries Regiment 

 of Militia, or No. 4 of the Militia of North Britain, and they 

 remained embodied till the peace of Amiens in 1802. The 

 minutes of the Courts of Lieutenancy contain a complete list of 

 the 247 men who were balloted to serve, with the parishes to 

 which they belonged. 



In most cases the men either provided substitutes or paid the 

 penalty of ,£10, which was used by the commanding officer to 

 provide bounties for men to supply vacancies. In 1799 a new 

 Act was passed which required the Court of Lieutenancy to pre- 

 pare a list of the men in every pai-ish between the age of 19 and 

 30. After much trouble and the hearing of many appeals this 

 list was made up. It extends over 100 pages of the minute book 

 of the Court of Lieutenancy, and contains the names of 2424 

 men, all arranged according to their parishes. In 1798 subscrip- 

 tions were sent from the inhabitants to aid the Government in 

 providing for the defence of the country. The town and parisli 

 of Dumfries gave £1622 19s lOd ; Kirkmahoe, £119 Is 6d ; 

 Holywood, £185 17s; Lochmaben, £20 I7s lOd; Glencairn, 

 £101 12s; and Moffat, £24 6s. The subscription lists show that 

 these sums were subscribed by all ranks of the people. 



After long negotiations in March, 1802, the Peace of Amiens 

 was signed. In April of the same year the Dumfriesshire Militia 

 were disembodied, and it may be supposed that the Volunteer 

 corps also ceased to exist. The conduct of Napoleon Bonaparte 

 soon made it plain that this peace could not long be maintained, 

 and in May, 1803, preparations at the French naval ports 

 hastened a declaration of war. During that year and the following 

 year an invasion by Napoleon seemed imminent, and preparations 

 for resistance were carried on with grea^t activity. It is said that 



