dinburgh: 1771.)

The convention met on the 14th of March. As the governing part of the
boroughs had been modelled by King James, the members sent up from
thence should have been favourable to his interests. But Lord Stair,
whose views were extensive, had taken care, in the paper which contained
the offer of administration to the Prince, to recommend that the
borough-elections should be made by a general poll of the burgesses; an
artifice which, while it took the blame of innovation off the Prince,
prepared the way for securing the elections to the whigs and
presbyterians. The parties at the convention first tried their strengths
in the choice of a president. The Duke of Hamilton was set up by the
new, the Marquis of Athole by the old court: a singular situation, where
both candidates were distrusted, both by those who recommended, and by
those who elected them. The former was preferred by 40 votes out of
about 150 voters: a victory which, from the nature of the human mind,
determined the wavering. A committee of elections was next named,
consisting of nine whigs and three tories. Sir John Dalrymple, who was
an able lawyer, found it easy to start objections to the returns of the
opposite party, and to remove those which were made against his own. The
committee in the house followed his opinions, because the necessity of
the times was made the excuse of partiality....

When the convention sat down, two letters were presented, one from the
present, and another from the late King of England. The convention read
both; but first passed an act, that nothing contained in the last of
them should dissolve their assembly, or stop their proceeding to the
settlement of the nation. James's letter was written in the terms of a
conqueror and a priest; threatening the convention with punishment in
this world, and damnation in the next. And, as it was counter-signed by
Lord Melfort, a papist, and a minister abhorred by the presbyterians,
the style and the signature hurt equally the interest which the letter
was intended to serve. No answer was given. William's letter, on the
contrary, was answered in strains of gratitude and respect; a
distinction which sufficiently showed what might be expected with regard
to the future resolutions of the assembly....

The revolution in England was brought about by a coalition of whigs and
tories; but, in Scotland, by the whigs almost alone. Hence, the Scottish
convention, instead of amusing themse