ere with the magistrates. But I saw it would
never do to take the bull by the horns in that manner at such a time; so
I commenced with Bailie Sprose, my lord being at the time provost, and
earnestly beseeched him to attend the meeting with me, and to give a mild
answer to any questions that might be put; and this was the more
necessary, as there was some good reason to believe, that, in point of
fact, the offer of service had been kept back.

We accordingly went to the meeting, where Mr Sprose, at my suggestion,
stated, that we had received no answer; and that we could not explain how
the delay had arisen. This, however, did not pacify the volunteers; but
they appointed certain of their own number, a committee, to attend to the
business, and to communicate with the secretary of state direct;
intimating, that the members of the committee were those whom they
intended to elect for their officers. This was a decisive step, and took
the business entirely out of the hands of the magistrates; so, after the
meeting, both Mr Sprose and myself agreed, that no time should be lost in
communicating to the lord-lieutenant what had taken place.

Our letter, and the volunteers' letter, went by the same post; and on
receiving ours, the lord-lieutenant had immediately some conference with
the secretary of state, who, falling into the views of his lordship, in
preferring the offers of the corps proposed by the gentry, sent the
volunteers word in reply, that their services, on the terms they had
proposed, which were of the least possible expense to government, could
not be accepted.

It was hoped that this answer would have ended the matter; but there were
certain propugnacious spirits in the volunteers' committee; and they
urged and persuaded the others to come into resolutions, to the effect
that, having made early offers of service, on terms less objectionable in
every point than those of many offers subsequently made and accepted,
unless their offer was accepted, they would consider themselves as having
the authority of his majesty's government to believe and to represent,
that there was, in truth, no reason to apprehend that the enemy meditated
any invasion and these resolutions they sent off to London forthwith,
before the magistrates had time to hear or to remonstrate against the use
of such novel language from our burgh to his majesty's ministers.

We, however, heard something; and I wrote my lord, to inform him that the
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