PRELIMINARY DISCOURSE. xxir 



their dignity, and their independency, to the nod of 

 a minitter who boafted that every man had his 

 price i others, in fallen defpondency, betook them- 

 ielves to the comforts of the bottle j and a fmall 

 number enjoyed the hope of great matters to be 

 brought forth at? St. Germains, in favour of the pro- 

 fcribed family. 



The metropolis, having no manufactures, now 

 beheld itfelf deprived of its only fupport, by the 

 tranflation of the parliament to London. The 

 trading towns pined under the duties and reftridtions 

 laid upon their commerce. The whole kingdom, 

 after fo many fatal difafters, feemed completely 

 ruined beyond recovery, and all degrees of men funk 

 under the weight of thefe complicated misfortunes. 

 Had any of the Malcolms, the Alexanders, or the 

 James's, arofe at this time from the dead, they 

 would have imagined that fome enemy, more bar- 

 barous than the Danes, had over-run their antient 

 kingdom, demolifhed its churches, and caftles ; en- 

 ilaved its nobility, checked its fifheries, and tranf- 

 ferred its commerce. 



Thefirft fruits of the treaty, in Scotland, was a 

 board of cuftoms, and another of excife, with 

 the appointment of commifiioners,, collectors, 

 furveyors, fupervifors, waiters, gaugers, and all 

 other necefTary officers, who were immediately 

 diftributed over the fcveral fea-ports, and difbricts of 

 the nation. 



In many parts they were roughly ufed, particu- 

 larly the excife officers; and in the Orkneys, the 

 officers were fo frightened by the country people, 

 that for fome time, the bufmefs was obliged to be 

 poftponed. 



In 1708, there was a warm debate in the grand 

 committee of the houfe of lords, occafiohed by a 

 bill patted by the commons, and fent to their lord- 

 fhips, for rendering tbe union of the two kingdoms 

 more entire and complete, whereby it was enacted, 

 " That, from the ift of May, 1708, there fhould 



be 



