ert Dundas,
son of the last, successively Solicitor-General and Lord Advocate, M.P.
for the county of Edinburgh, judge of the Court of Session 1737, Lord
President 1748, died in 1753 (father of Henry, Viscount Melville);
Robert Dundas, son of the last, successively Solicitor-General and Lord
Advocate, and member for the county, Lord President from 1760 to 1787;
Robert Dundas, son of the last, successively Solicitor-General and Lord
Advocate, Lord Chief Baron from 1801 to 1819; all these judges, except
the Chief Baron, had been known in Scotland by the title of Lord
Arniston. They were, we need hardly add, all men of talents, but the
two Lords President Arniston were of superior eminence in legal and
constitutional learning."

The Hope family, and some other Scottish ones, present as numerous a
display of legal dignitaries as the above; but the hereditary succession
from father to son is perhaps not equalled, certainly not excelled, in any
age or country. In fact, let the opponents of hereditary honours say what
they will, there is no description of talent except the poetical that has
not frequently remained in the same family for several generations
unabated.

J. S. WARDEN.

_Tolling the Bell on leaving Church_ (Vol. ix., p. 125.).--In reply to
J. H. M.'s Query, I beg to state that the chief reason for tolling the bell
while the congregation is leaving church, is to {312} inform the
parishioners who have not been able to attend in the morning, divine
service will be celebrated in the afternoon. In scattered villages, or
where a single clergyman had to perform the duties of more than one church,
this was formerly quite requisite. At a neighbouring village of Tytherly,
the custom is still observed, though no longer necessary.

W. S.

There is little doubt that priests in olden times were fond of hot dinners,
and the bell at the conclusion of the service must have been intended as a
warning to their cooks (and many others) to make ready the repast. This is
merely a supposition; but I shall cherish the idea in the want of a better
explanation. The custom has been, until very lately, observed in our little
country church. There are other customs which are still kept up, namely,
that of tolling the church bell at eight o'clock on Sunday morning, and
again at nine, as well as that of ringing a small bell when the clergyman
enters the reading-desk.

E. W. J.

Crawley, Winches