860 
SCOTLAND. 
evidence being unsuitable to the peremptory diets of the 
Court of Justiciary, improbatio'n and forgery, falsehood com¬ 
mitted in the course of their own proceedings, &c. It pro¬ 
ceeds without a jury. 
By the act 1681, c. 16, the High Admiral is declared “ as 
the King’s Lieutenant and Justice-General on the seas, and 
in all harbours and creeks, and upon fresh water within 
the flood-mark,” to have the sole jurisdiction in all maritime 
and seafaring causes within this realm. He is competent ex¬ 
clusively to try piracy, mutiny on ship board, and all crimes 
strictly maritime| but only cumulatively murder on ship¬ 
board and other crimes not connected with navigation. The 
trial in this court is by jury. 
The sheriff is competent to the trial of all crimes except 
treason, and the four pleas of the crown, as robbery, rape, 
murder and wilful fire-raising. The sheriff may try house- 
breaking, theft and all lesser crimes down to gross immo¬ 
ralities, and breaches of the peace 5 and although he cannot 
transport, he can try capitally. This power, however, is 
never exercised at present. 
The lawyers of the Crown are the Lord Advocate and 
Solicitor-General. The first, besides most important minis¬ 
terial powers and functions which constitute him virtually 
the minister of the Crown for Scotland, is the public prose¬ 
cutor of all crimes coming before the Court of Justiciary and 
Admiralty Court, and in all revenue otfences tried before the 
Court of Exchequer. He and the Solicitor-General are ad¬ 
vocates practising at the Scottish bar. The latter officer 
is virtually the Lord Advocate’s coadjutor and substitute 
for the whole of Scotland. His lordship has, besides, three 
deputies, called Advocates Depute, each of whom goes one 
of the circuits as public prosecutor, with the full powers of 
his principal. 
The Scottish bar is called the Faculty of Advocates. They 
have exclusive right to practise in the supreme courts; and 
are under no disqualification to plead in any court, down to 
the most inferior. 
The Writers to the Signet are the first order of attorneys 
in Scotland. They keep and have the sole right to use the 
king’s signet, as applied to writs in the king’s name. They 
were anciently clerks to the secretaries of state, but are now 
general conveyancers and practitioners before the courts of 
law. 
A certain class of agents practise in the supreme courts, 
who are not writers to the signet, called Solicitors before the 
Supreme Courts, and lately incorporated, by royal charter, 
as such. 
The inferior courts have their own Procurators, or Soli¬ 
citors, who are admitted by the different inferior courts. 
Notaries Public are now admitted by the Court of Session. 
Almost all the writers to the signet and solicitors both of 
supreme and inferior courts are notaries. 
All the supreme courts have Seals proper to themselves, 
with which their writs and warrants are sealed. All the 
Court of Session writs are stamped with the king’s signet, and 
signed by a writer to the signet. 
There is no part or accessory of the judicial establishments 
of Scotland more perfect than its system of Registration. 
There is hence much more security and confidence in legal 
transactions than exists in any other country of Europe. 
Besides the particular record of each court, there are the 
records of chancery, for patents, services of heirs, &c.; the 
record for all rights affecting lands for the information of 
creditors, called the register of sasines (Stat. 1617, c. 16.); 
the record for interdictions, inhibition, hornings; the record 
of bonds, bills and other obligations to found personal 
diligence. This last registration has the form of a judicial 
proceeding, by fiction of law, for no j udge is present; and the 
books of record for that purpose are those of council and 
session. The stat. 1696, c. 26, established the register for 
probative writings in which a clause of registration has been 
omitted. The record of entails is also a very important 
record. It is the essential character of the Scottish registra¬ 
tion, where the safety of creditors is the end, that the writings 
are null and void if registration be omitted. 
VIII.— Ecclesiastical Jurisdictions. 
According to the present establishment of the church, 
Scotland is divided into 15 synods, comprehending 7 $ 
pi esbyteries, and 893 parishes, which are represented in 
the general assembly of the church, which meets annually 
at Edinburgh. In its deliberative and judicial capacity this 
ecclesiastical court is justly accounted among the most en¬ 
lightened and respectable in the Christian world. 
In the division of the country into synods and presbyteries, 
convenience has been principally attended to, the limits of 
counties being no further observed thau they are consistent 
with contiguity to the respective synodical and presbyterial 
seats; but in the arrangement of the whole into parishes, 
contiguity to the churches has not been so much observed. 
Hence, in many instances, remote parts are conjointed into 
one parish, to the great inconvenience of the parishioners, 
as well as of the officiating clergyman. With respect to 
extent and population also there is a great disparity; the first 
was settled in remote times; the second has been deter- 
mined, in a great degree, by the effects of manufactures and 
commerce. 
Scotland possesses four universities, viz. - 
Founded in. Principals. Professors. 
St. Andrews... 1412 2 ]] 
Glasgow ... 1450 1 19 
Aberdeen ling’s College.. 1404 1 9 
| Marischal College 1593 1 10 
Edinburgh .. 1581 1 28 
1 6 77 
A detailed account of these different universities has already 
been given, under our articles, Aberdeen, Andrews, St., 
Edinburgh, and Glasgow. 
The following table shows the number of students that 
matriculated at the university of Edinburgh, at different 
times from 1791-2 to 1824-5 :— 
1791-2 _ 
Students. 
..1279 
1820-21.. 
Students. 
....2116 
1795-4 .... 
...1218 
1821-2 .. 
....2181 
1799-1800.. 
,..1330 
1822-3 .. 
.. .2344 
1805 6 .... 
...1570 
1823-4 .. 
....2273 
1809-10.... 
...1980 
1824-5 .. 
....2198 
1815-16.... 
...2097 
1825-6 .. 
.. See below. 
In the year 1824-5, the following students matriculated:— 
Literature ....777 
Medicine .... 939 
Law ... 233 
Divinity.................. 249 
Total.... 2198 
In 1825-6, there were enrolled at the college, 
Students in Medicine.......... 854 
Literature ......... 809 
Law .............. 298 
The following students obtained the degree of Doctor of 
Medicine during ten years, from 1811 to 1820:— 
1811... 
...44 
1816.. 
...75 
1812... 
...58 
1817... 
1813... 
...62 
1818... 
... 103 
1814... 
...88 
1819... 
... 119 
1815... 
1820... 
Annual average, from 1821 to 1824 ... 416 
On August 1st, 1825 ..... 140 
Total number of graduates, from 1726 to 1825,\q n7f . 
inclusive... j ^ y 
IX.— Literature. 
The literature of Scotland, though it cannot boast of 
great antiquity, has acquired a distinguished place in the 
annals of fame, by the rapidity of progress and brilliancy 
of its lustre in later times. The Culdees, indeed, the 
venerable hermits of Jona, are represented by ancient his¬ 
torians, 
