APPENDIX. 33 



the end of the firft. feffion, he refigned his feat, as he found the 

 attention required by his bufinefs inconfiftent with his attend- 

 ance in Parliament, and he did not chufe to retain a place when 

 he could not difcharge the duties of it properly. 



At Michaelmas 1784, in compliance with the urgent re- 

 queft of the Town-Council, he was elected Lord Provoft of 

 Edinburgh ; and in this fituation, he exerted, in a very confpi- 

 cuous manner, the indefatigable activity of his public fpirit. 

 For it was he who fet on foot thofe great operations which are 

 at prefent carrying on for the improvement of the city, and of 

 which one of the mod important objects was the rebuilding of 

 the College. 



The firft ftep of thefe operations was a work of great utility 

 and magnificence. The accefs to Edinburgh from the fouth, 

 on account of the narrownefs and fteepnefs of the lanes, was 

 not only very incommodious, but even hazardous ; and accord- 

 ingly, it had often been propofed to open a communication be- 

 tween the High Street and the fouthern parts of the city and 

 fuburbs, by means of a bridge over the Cowgate. But the 

 fcheme, although its great importance was abundantly obvious, 

 appeared fo expenfive, and was attended with fo many other 

 difficulties, that every former attempt had proved unfuccefsful, 

 and it required all the ardour and influence of Sir James Hun- 

 ter Blair to carry it into execution. 



We owe the accompliihment of it, however, not merely to 

 his ardour and influence, but alfo to his fagacity. For in order 

 to defray the great expence, he devifed means, which, to men 

 of lefs difcernment or knowledge in bufinefs, appeared very 

 inadequate to the purpofe. His fcheme was this : The proper- 

 ty which lay in the line of the intended communication, and 

 to a confiderable dillance on each fide of that line, was to be 

 purchafed at its real value at the time ; and after the communi- 

 cation was opened, fuch parts of the ground thus purchafed as 



Vol. 1IL (E) were 



Account of 

 Sir James Hun* 

 tM Blair. 



