PRELIMINARY DISCOURSE. xv 



when the king, on the earned felicitations of the 

 Englilh and Dutch Eaft India companies, refolved 

 to gratify the latter at the expence of his Scottifh 

 fubjects ; and, knowing that the new colony muft 

 want fupplies of provifions, he fent orders to the 

 governor of Jamaica, and the Engliih fettlements in 

 America, to illue proclamations, prohibiting, under 

 the fevereft penalties, all his majeily's fubjedls from 

 holding any correfpondence with the Scottifh colony, 

 or aflifting it in any ftape, with arms, ammunition, 

 or provifions ; thus the king's heart was hardened 

 againft thefe new fettlers, whom he abandoned to 

 their fate, though many of them had been covered 

 with wounds in fighting his battles. 



Thus vanillied all the hopes of the Scottifli nation, 

 which had engaged in this defign with incredible 

 alacrity, and with the moft fanguine expectations 

 that the misfortunes of their country would, by 

 this new channel of commerce, be completely healed* 



The diftreffes of the people, upon receiving 

 authentic accounts of the fortune of their colony ? 

 fcarcely admit ~ of any defcription. They were not 

 only difappointed in their expectations of wealth 

 and a renewal of their commerce, but hundreds^ 

 who had ventured their all, were abfolutely ruined 

 by the mifcarriage of the defign. 



The whole nation feemed to join in the clamour 

 that was railed againft their fovereign. They taxed 

 him with double dealing, inhumanity, and bafe 

 ingratitude, to a people who had lavifhed their trea- 

 fure and bed blood in fupport of his government, 

 and in the gratification of his ambition > and had 

 their power been equal to their acrimony, in all 

 probability, the iiland would have been involved in 

 civil war. 



The Scots, after fuch a feries of difafters, dur- 

 ing the courfe of a whole century, had now nothing 

 left but their parliament, their nominal indepen- 

 dence, their frugality, temperance, and induilry. 



Internal 



