32 HI ST OR T of the S CIE ?f. 



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Account of sir After the death of Mr John Coutts, the principal partner 



James Hunter J *• . 



^ lair - of the Houfe, Sir William and Sir James were admitted to a 



fhare of the bufinefs in 1763, and gradually rofe to the head of 

 the copartnery. 



It was alfo in 1763 that Sir James firfl; became a member of 

 the Town-council of Edinburgh, during the adminiftration of 

 Provoft Drummond, whofe memory will long be refpecled by 

 the inhabitants of this city. He afterwards continued occafion- 

 ally to have a feat in the Council, and filled all the different of- 

 fices of Magiftracy. 



In December 1770, he married Mifs Jane Blair, eldeft 

 daughter of John Blair, Efq; of Dunfkey in the county of 

 Wigton. It is remarkable, that this lady's father, at his death, 

 left no fewer than fix fons, four of whom were alive at the time 

 of their fitter's marriage, but all of them having died, fhe fuc- 

 ceeded in 1777 to the family-efhate. Sir James on this occa- 

 fion, received the name of Blair, and was afterwards, in the 

 year 1786, created a Baronet of Great Britain. 



On the estate which had thus unexpectedly devolved to him, 

 he commenced a plan of mod extenfive and judicious improve- 

 ment. He nearly rebuilt the town of Portpatrick ; he repaired 

 and greatly improved the harbour ; he eitablifhed packet-boats 

 of a larger fize on the much frequented paflage to Donaghadee 

 in Ireland ; and, laltly, while the farmers in that part of Scot- 

 land were extremely ignorant of their bufinefs, he fet before 

 them a fuccefsful example of the belt modes of agriculture, the 

 greateft fervice perhaps which can be 'performed by a private 

 man to his country. 



In September 1781, upon the death of the Member at the 

 time he was called, without any folicitation upon his part, to re- 

 prefent the city of Edinburgh in Parliament ; and at the gene- 

 ral election in fummer 1784, he alfo received the fame honour 

 of an unfolicited and unanimous nomination ', an event almoft 

 fingular at that period of violent political ftruggle. But before 



the 



