APPENDIX, 3 
the end of the firft feffion, he refigned his feat, as he found the 
attention required by his bufinefs inconfiftent with his attend- 
ance in Parliament, and he did not chufe to retain a place when 
he could not difcharge the duties of it properly. 
At Michaelmas 1784, in compliance with the urgent re- 
queft of the Town-Council, he was eleéted Lord Provoft of 
Edinburgh ; and in this fituation, he exerted, in a very confpi- 
cuous manner, the indefatigable adtivity of his public fpirit. 
For it was he who fet on foot thofe great operations which are 
at prefent carrying on for the improvement of the city, and of 
“which one of the moft important objects was the rebuilding of 
the College. 
Tue firft ftep of thefe operations was a work of great utility 
and magnificence. The accefs to Edinburgh from the fouth, 
on account of the narrownefs and fteepnefs of the lanes, was 
not only very incommodious, but even hazardous ; and accord- 
ingly, it had often been propofed to open a communication be- 
tween the High Street and the fouthern parts of the city and 
fuburbs, by means of a bridge over the Cowgate. But the 
{cheme, although its great importance was abundantly obvious, 
appeared fo expenfive, and was attended with fo many other 
difficulties, that every former attempt had proved unfuccefsful, 
and it required all the ardour and influence of Sir James Hun- 
TER BLAIR to carry it into execution. , 
We owe the accomplifhment of it, however, not merely to 
his ardour and influence, but alfo to his fagacity. For in order 
to defray the great expence, he devifed means, which, to men 
of lefs difcernment or knowledge in bufinefs, appeared very 
inadequate to the purpofe. His fcheme was this : The proper- 
ty which lay in the line of the intended communication, and 
to a confiderable diftance on each fide of that line, was to be 
purchafed at its real value at the time; and after the communi- 
cation was opened, fuch parts of the ground thus purchafed as 
Vor. III. (E) were 
G3 
Account of 
Sir James Hunt 
ter Blair, 
