'96 Transactions. 



the forces by sea .and land may be by which the First Consul of 

 France now intends to invade our island, that nevei'theless his 

 forces by sea are neither so numerous nor so formidable as those 

 which on so many occasions during the late war were beaten and 

 destroyed by the fleets of Britain ; that his land forces are no 

 other than such as, although superior in number, our countrymen 

 so recently encountered and subdued on the plains of Egypt ; 

 and that this same Fii-st Consul of France is no other than that 

 General Bonaparte who at the head of a numerous army so long 

 besieged in vain a handful of British troops shut up within the 

 mud walls of Acre, from before which weak and unfinished post 

 he at length retired defeated, disgraced, and covered with infamy. 

 That the people be desired constantly to keep in mind that 

 history affords no example where the inhabitants of a country 

 united and faithful to each other were ever conquered by a 

 foreign enemy." One response to this was the following letter 

 from Mr Gibson, of the King's Arms Hotel, Dumfries, which 

 gives a glimpse of the resources of that posting establishment in 

 July, 1803:— 



I think it incumbent on me at this momentous period to contribute my 

 sum for my King and country. I beg leave to offer for conveying stock and 

 property of any kind 17 horses, 5 chaises, 3 carts, and drivers for the 

 same. 



The parish of Ruthwell promised to furuish ninety volunteers, 

 seventy carts and horses, and fifty drivers. The manager of the 

 mines at Wanlockhead wrote to the Lord-Lieutenant as follows — 



Wanlockhead, 1st August, 1803. 



My Lord, — I have the honour to enclose a signed list of 110 miners, 

 their two overseers, and myself, as manager of the Wanlockhead mines, 

 who offer their services as a corps of Volunteer Pioneers, providing our- 

 selves with pioneering and entrenching tools, and be ready to march, in case 

 of invasion, with ten days' provisions. I have also to enclose a return of 

 pioneering tools fit for service. The Mining Company of Wanlockhead 

 authorises me to offer for the general service of the country whatever gun- 

 powder they may have in store for blasting the mines, which on an average 

 will be about 800 lbs. weight, and a proportionable quantity of musket 

 balls, on being provided with Government patent moulds for casting them. 

 The miners are ready to be trained to whatever exercise is thought 

 necessary — the only difficulty is to find a tolerably flat piece of ground 

 within six miles of the mines proper to exercise even a company of fifty 

 men. But that a company of pioneers (which as miners we are well 

 adapted to), should be able to march without confusion, this may be 



