SIR ROBERT SIBBALD. 



certain general queries, to the number of twelve, to 

 which he solicited answers from all who were 

 competent to give information ; in addition to 

 which, he issued five sets of special queries to the 

 following classes : 1st, To the nobility ; 2d, To 

 the clergy ; 3d, To the gentry ; 4th, To the royal 

 burghs ; and 5th, To the universities and schools. 

 In reply, he received much valuable matter, par- 

 ticularly from M'Kenzie, bishop of Orkney, 

 Graham, bishop of the Isles, Mr -James Wallace, 

 minister of Kirkwall, and Mr Sympson, minister, 

 author of the account of Galloway, printed 

 in 1823, by Thomas Maitland, Esq. advocate 

 The Countess of Errol, sister to the Earl of 

 Perth, sent him a description of Brechin, 

 together with some drawings of birds, and two 

 engraved plates, the one of silver, the other of 

 copper. 



This was followed, in 1683, by a Latin pam- 

 phlet of twenty pages folio, which he entitled 

 " Nuncius Sooto-Britannicus, sive Admonitio de 

 Atlanti Scotico," &c. To this is prefixed the 

 royal patent, appointing him geographer ; it con- 

 tains a plan of the proposed work, with its 

 divisions, and the titles of the various chapters ; 

 a list of the books and manuscripts he had pro- 

 cured relative to the subject, and a list of 

 books and manuscripts that he was anxious to 



obtain, but had not been able to procure. Hie 

 c 



