106 



ANNUAL REGISTER, 1804. 



Stanhope, with the inflammatory 

 language in which they were intro- 

 duced, and supported the original 

 bill, which was then passed without 

 any further opposition. 



Oif the day appointed for the 

 discussion of the motion respefting 

 the lord advocate of Scotland, 



Mr. Whitbrcad moved that the 

 clerk should read those letters on 

 frhich he founded his charge. The 

 first was from the lord advocate to 

 the sheriff substituc of Bamfl'shire, 

 stating, " that the conduct of Mor- 

 rison was most atrocious, and that 

 every possible means ought to be 

 taken to stigmatize him, and to pu- 

 nish him, by the scorn and contempt 

 of all the respectable men in the 

 county, who ought to enter into a 

 resolution, to have no communica- 

 tion or dealings with him ;" and di- 

 recting the sheriff " to apprehend 

 and imprison Morrison, upon the 

 first landing of a Frenchman in 

 Scotland ;" and concluded, by stat- 

 ing " that he would do all in his 

 power, that Morrison should re- 

 ceive no compensation for any pro- 

 perty that might cither be destroyed 

 by the enemy, or the king's troops." 

 This letter, so sent to the sheriff, 

 was entered in the records' of the 

 county of Bamff. 



Mr. Whitbread then said, that 

 those were the letters upon which 

 he intended to ground his accu- 

 sation of the lord advocate, (Mr. 

 Hope,) whom he was happy to 

 sec in his place ; for he thought it 

 right, in all cases, that the accused 

 should be confronted with his ac- 

 cuser. It was now incumbent upon 

 the house, to come to some decision 

 on the subject, as, if his charge was 

 substantiated, the people of Scotland 

 were exposed to great oppression 

 and injustice. The first resolution 



that he should move Avas, that '' the 

 conduct of the lord advocate, in 

 writing the said letters, was oppres- 

 sive, illegal, and contrary to his 

 professional duties." The lord ad- 

 vocate had attempted, from bis own 

 head, and without hearing the ac- 

 cused, to have Morrison cut ofif 

 from every comfort and advantage 

 of civilized society ; in a certain 

 case, to have him imprisoned con- 

 trary to law; and to deny him com- 

 pensation for the loss of his pro- 

 perty. The plain statement of the 

 case was, that a servant of Morri- 

 son's had, against his consent, left 

 his work to attend a volunteer in. 

 spedtion, and therefore his master 

 discharged him, as he had a right 

 to do : and for so discharging him, 

 he was thus publicly calumniated 

 and oppressed by the lord advocate. 

 After dwelling forcibly and elo- 

 quently on the aggravated nature 

 of the oppression, in the present 

 case, he concluded by moving his 

 first resolution. 



The Lord Advocate c f Scotland 

 (Mr. Hope) then rose in his defence: 

 he said, it had never before been 

 his lot to be charged with injustice 

 and oppression, and he was glad the 

 charge proceeded from a gentleman 

 who Mas unacquainted with him or 

 his charadter. He was ready now 

 to admit that ^lorrison was a person 

 respectable in point of property, 

 and that there was not any charge 

 agalnsthis loyalty; but, at the time 

 the letter was written, Scotland was 

 in a most critical situation, left with, 

 out regular troops, and the defence 

 of the northern parts rested entirely 

 upon the volunteers : in addition to 

 which, an invasion was daily cxpedt- 

 ed. Under such circumstances, it 

 did appear to him a imwa facie 

 evidence of disloyalty, to impede 



the 



