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APPENDIX. No. I. 
guished example. — 3. Scotland supplies a considerable number of stewards, 
confidential clerks, book-keepers, &c. from a class of society, which in most 
other countries furnishes only domestic servants. The British Colonies, and 
especially the West Indies, are chiefly provided with c'erks, overseers of plan- 
tations, &c. from this source.— 3. The prodigious number of non commissioned 
officers in the army, who are natives of Scotland, having been raised from the 
ranks in consequence of their knowledge of reading and writing, and general 
good conduct, is also very remarkable. — The recollection of most readers 
will probably supply them with other examples; but there are two instances, 
somewhat out of the course of ordinary experience, which deserve to be 
particularly mentioned. 
In the year 1803, Mr. Matthew Martin, a gentleman distinguished for his 
active benevolence, having been for some time engaged, under the sanction 
of Government, in a laborious enquiry concerning the " Stale of Mendicity 
" in the Metropolis," was desired to make a Report upon that subject for the 
information of Government. From the statement which Mr. Martin prepared 
on that occasion and laid before the Secretary of State, it appeared that the 
number of Scotch beggars in London was remarkably small, especially in 
proportion to the Irish beggars, with whom it was most natural to compare 
them. Of 2000 beggars, whose cases were investigated by Mr Martin, the 
following is a summary. 
Belonging to parishes home - - 570 
.—distant parishes - - 3S6 
Irish ----- 679 
Scotch _ . - - 65 
Foreign - - - 30 
The second of the two cases is of a still more uncommon nature. — In the 
course of the expedition against Egypt in 1807, the advanced guard of Major 
General Fraser's army having taken possession of Rosetta and occupied a 
position at El Hamed a few miles from that town, was surprised by a strong 
corps of Turkish troops,and after an obstinate conflict and thelossof many lives> 
compelled to surrender. According to the Turkish custom, the prisoners taken 
were sold as slaves, and dispersed over the whole country ; some of them being 
sent as far as Upper Egypt. Great exertions were naturally made by the British 
government to redeem those unfortunate persons from captivity; and this was 
happily effected as to all the prisoners, except a few who could not be traced, 
by the assistance of Signor Petrucci, the Swedish consul at Alexandria. 
