perfect account of the real rents of the e-, ftates of all over the kingdom, the club in Albemarle street, that fet the Budget to work, must answer it to thofe who may futfer by this delicate inquiry! Then it will appear whofe friendship was greatest to the landholders. Then it will be feen, whether the minifter, whofe tendernefs induced him to wink at this inadequate tax, or the patrons of the Budget, who compelled him to his vindication, are most to be blamed for the confequences that may fall, from thence, on the landed gentlemen in general. SIR. London, Aug. 18. 1764. As God governs the world by the fettled laws of nature, which he hath made, and never tranfcends thofe laws but upon high, important occafions; fo, among earthly princes, thofe are the wifeft and the beft, who govern by the known laws of their country, and feldomeft make use of their pre rogative. Bacon. Liberty is the English subject's prerogative. Dryden. Nothing can give a man of unprejudi⚫ ced obfervation fo much reafon to be diffatisfied with the conftitution of this country, as that wanton and capricious interpofition of prerogative on the part of the crown; which (it must be confeff. ed) is in fome cafes fufficiently counter acted by the privilege of parliament, and berty of the fubject; but which, at the fame time, in other cafes, and thofe too of the laft moment to the individual, we admit with implicit confidence, without limitation, and without appeal. Can fuch admiffion be countenanced by a conflitution where the rights of the crown and thofe of the people are fo equally adjufted; and where the extenfions of power attempted on either fide, are fo fure to be reduced by the jealoulies of the other? I anfwer with diffidence, and diftinction: Such admiflion is not countenanced by the fpirit of our conftitution, but, prima facie, is in great mealure connived at by the letter. For inftance: My Lord Hhas been fummoned; has refufed to appear; his goods have been diftrained, and forfeited to a confiderable amount. Thus far the law; thus far the wifeit and beft judge that ever fat upon the bench, my Lord Chief Juftice Pratt. But, alas! mark the confequence. The forfeiture above mentioned is depofited-Where? is it vefted in that court of justice, which, as it holds in itfelf the indifpu table property of this affront, has at the fame time fome degree of right to hold in itself, and to apply with its own difcretion to the fecurity of a legal privilege, fuch forfeiture awarded, as it must have been by its own fentence?-No,-it is vefted in the right of prerogative. His prefent Majefty (happily for us, and for Bolingbroke's induction from fuch premifes, which he applies with a great deal of good humour to every crowned head indifcriminately, not to the perfon only, but to the name [xi. 326.]; happily, I fay, for his argument, and our fecurity) is a Patriot King, not blindly attached to the interested views of a defigning favourite, but jealous of every minifterial incroachment upon the stability of the pu blic weal, in which, and only which, his own conftitutional rights, his own prerogative, his own credit, his own fafety, are, and must be understood. But let us quit the truth for once, and, by way of argumentative pofition, let us fuppofe a Stuart fitting upon the throne. Shall fuch, a king then be impowered, by fecret collufion between the offender and himself, to deliver back the goods fo forfeited in purluance of a legal fentence, but depofited as they are, in his own coffers, and in confequence ready at his hand, to the fubject of fuch diftrefs the defendant Limfelf? Shall fuch a king referve to his own perfon, in right of prerogative, a right to annul the purpofes at which in this cafe the law is pointed? I mean a nec flity of the culprit's appearance in order to a trial: Shall this effential privilege of legal procefs be refufed the plaintiff in the most momentous part of right and juftice? Shall this refufal meet with countenance from prerogative? Is fuch prerogative inherent in the perfon of kings by right divine, (let me fift this cafuiftry to the bottom), or is it a grant from the people? Are the rights which fuch a grant has vefted in the King's perfon, to fet the claims of injured justice at defiance, or rather to corroborate, by the fanction of their name, the privileges of the fubject, as well as thole of the King? A power of diftrefs has been claimed, and execution of fuch distress has been awarded by courts of justice, time out of mind: fuch a power was of the wifeft, as well as the earliest inftitution. What cafe does it reach fo properly as that of fuits preferred against members of parliament, which can never admit the perfonal arreft of the defendant? Nil fuit 3 K 2 unguar unquam fic impar fibi. How contemptuoully was privilege treated in Wilkes's cate! how is it coaxed and ftroaked and clapped upon the back in the cafe of my Lord H! But I afk that Noble Lord's pardon for having aflerted that he has refuled to appear; I have just heard that he has engaged to appear.-What time has he fixed upon for his appearance? Why, juft the time when parliament will be fitting, and no writ of fummons can hold against his plea of privilege.-Is fuch an engagement as this, which laughs at itself, to fufpend the execution of difrefs? Is law to be fluffled with and judgment reduced to the neceffity of acting at a diftant period of time, and at a time too in which all its efforts to fecure appearance, fhould he at fuch time recede from his verbal, or even written engagement, must be null and void? my poor country, fick with foreign blows, How wilt thou fpeed when riot is thy care! [Lond. Chron.] BRUTUS, Some account of the going of Mr Harrifon's longitude time-keeper. Some imperfect accounts having already appeared in the news-papers of the refult of the trials of Mr Harrison's longitude time-keeper, in a late voyage to Barbadoes, and it being probable that others may follow, it has been thought proper, by way of fatisfying, in fome meafure, the importunity of his friends, till a board of longitude thall be held, and the matter decided upon by the Hon. Commiffioners, to give the following authentic and plain narrative of fome experiments, which, though they will not any of them fall under the notice of the Commiffioners, as they were not injoined to be made by them, may yet ferve as collateral proofs of the going of the timepiece, and how far it is likely to fucceed in the folution of the grand problem of the longitude. In December 1763, Mr John Harrison, by a written circular invitation, prevail. ed on twelve noblemen and gentlemen, of unquestionable abilities and integrity, to meet daily at his houfe in Red-lion fquare, to examine and witness to the going of his time-keeper, (foon to be fent to America on trial for the longitude), in fuch manner as they fhould deem most fatisfactory among themselves. Accordingly they agreed to compare it every day [See the places referred to under the word Longitude in our Indexes.] with a regulator, fixed in the fame house, which, for thirty years together, had feldom been known to vary from the rate of mean folar tilne more than about one second in a month; and that the going of the faid regulator itfelf fhould likewife be afcertained by means of an accurate inftrument, alfo in the houfe, for obferving the fun's tranfit over the meridian, as of ten as the weather would permit. The time-keeper was thus compared with the regulator for eight fucceffive days, and immediately after each comparifon, was wound up, and then fealed up in a box, with as many of the company's feals as they chose to affix; the regulator being alfo fealed up in like manner. The refult of all thefe comparisons was, that the time-piece gained upon the regu lator, for the most part, about one fecond a-day, fometimes a fmall matter more; it having, upon the last comparison, been found to have gained 9 feconds and 6 tenths of a fecond in the whole eight days. After these trials Mr Harrifon took his time-keeper afunder, in order to perfect farther that part of it which was concern ed in counter-balancing and regulating thofe fmall inequalities which may arife from the various temperature of the air, in respect of heat and cold: but he had not time to execute his purpofe before a fhip was appointed to take the machine on board, and proceed for the island of Barbadoes, upon the ultimate trial for the longitude. Mr William Harrison, the fon, being ordered, along with the time-keeper, on board the Tartar man of war, then lying in Long-reach, and commanded by Sir John Lindlay, did, at the request of Mr James Short, F. R. S. on the 13th of February, come to the faid Mr Short's houfe in Surry ftreet, in the Strand, and there compared the time-keeper with Mr Short's regulator, made by the late Mr Graham, which was that day adjusted to the mean folar time, by a nice tranfit-in ftrument; when the time-piece was found two feconds and a half flower than the mean time. Immediately after Mr Har. rifon set off in a boat from Surry flairs, with the time-piece, for Long-reach. The fhip, according to order, proceed • Some remarks have been made on this narrative. It is afked, What is here meant by flower? was it two feconds and a half later than this regulator when first compared: or did it vary fo much from it in any deter minate time? ed to Portsmouth; whence, after fome ftay, Mr Harrison fent to Mr Short, and others of his friends, a written declaration, importing, That he had found by experiments, that when Fahrenheit's thermometer ftands at 42, the time-keeper gains three feconds in 24 hours; when at 52, it gains two feconds; when at 62, one fecond; when at 72, it neither gains nor lofes; and when at 82, it lofes one fecond a-dar: That nevertheless he would not be underflood that future time-keepers will be liable to the like dif. ficulties in being brought to perfection, fince it is no dithcult matter to keep a track once marked out. The Ship failed from Spithead, March 28. and met with hard and contrary gales, especially in the bay of Biscay. April 18. they made the island of Porto Santo, north-east of Madeira, as fet forth in the following certificate of the captain. "Madeira, April 19. 1764. I do hereby certify, That yefterdy, at four o'clock in the afternoon, Mr Wil fam Harriton took two altitudes of the funt, to a certain the differen e of longitude, given by the time-keeper, from They arrived at Barbadoes, May 13. Mr Harrifon all along, in the voyage, that ifland, according to the best fettled declared how far they were distant from longitude he could procure before he left England. The day before they made it, he declared the diftance; and in confetill eleven at night: when it proving quence of this declaration Sir John failed dark, he thought proper to lie by, Mr Harrifon declaring then they were no more than eight or nine miles from land; which accordingly at day-break they faw from that diftance. June 4. Mr Harrifon failed from Bar badoes, with the time-keeper, on board the New Elifabeth, Capt. Robert Manley, bound for London. July 12. Mr Harrifon declared they were 50 leagues With what inftrument, and how exactto the weftward of the Lizard: prely, fays the remarker, were thefe altitudes fently after which they fpoke with an taken? That altitudes can be taken with outward-bound brig, which proved to be fufficient exactnefs at fea, for determining from Liverpool, and had yesterday taken the time under any meridian, is an affertion her departure from the Scillies (always against which fome objections may be made; allowed to be 20 leagues to the weftward and till they are antwered, the wonderful of the Lizard). The New Elifabeth, by finding of the distance of the fhip from Por- the log, found the run 53 leagues; to Santo, and afterwards from Barbadoes, whereupon Capt. Manley averred, that cannot convince knowing perfons, that Mr the time-keeper had found the Lizard Harrison has made the important difcovery much more exactly than the brig's reckonof the longitude at fea. The remarker eing, though fhe had feen the Scillies but ven doubts whether a time-piece, though the evening before. never fo exact, can do this. His reafons are, 1. A time-piece perfectly exact, will always fhew the time of the meridian at the place where it was fet, fuppofe at Portfmouth; but the time of the thip's meridian at fea must be taken by another inftrument, that by the difference of the two times the fhip's longitude may be determined to half a degree. Now he doubts, whether, by any inftrument yet in ufe, the true meridian altitude can be ascertained within two minutes; nay, he even thinks two of the moft exact obfervers, who do not act in concert, will differ as much as that from each other. And indeed, it cannot well be otherwife, confidering that the space of two minutes, on the limb, is lefs than one zoodth part of an inch in almoft all the quadrants in ufe for ta king altitudes at fca. Capt. 2. The neceffity of an exact time-piece, for difcovering the longitude, arifes only from the fuppofition, that all celeftial ob fervations made for finding the longitude must be connected with periods of time; which fuppofition the remarker thinks to be false; and therefore concludes, that the mo exact, and most practicable method of finding the longitude, must be by celeftial ob fervations that have not the least connection with periods of time. This is the third wonderful tale of declaring the distance of the fhip from a known land, without letting us know how that di ftance was found. Our wonder, indeed, is thereby excited, but our judgment is left uninformed. This cannot therefore be called Capt. Manley now made directly for the Thames; and he and Mr Harrifon arrived in a boat at Surry ftairs, July 18. about half past three in the afternoon; when it was found, upon comparing the time keeper with Mr Short's clock, examined that day by the tranfit-inftrument, that allowing for the variations of the thermometer, as specified in Mr Harrifon's journal, the time-keeper differed from the mean folar time 15 feconds flow; but that, without allowing for fuch varia. tions, and abiding by his declaration of the uniform gain of one fecond a-day, it had then gained 54 feconds, from its departure from Surty threet, till its arrival there again, after 156 days, or 22 weeks and 2 days. SIR, July 1764. TO trouble you with an account of my family, any farther than what immediately relates to my fon, would be needlefs; let it fuffice to fay, it is both ancient and ennobled. I married, in my youth, a young lady, by birth, education, and fortune, equal to myself. The mutual ardency with which we loved each other, foon proved it'elf, by the birth of a fine boy. But, ok futalis dies! it not only produced the caufe of my prefent misfortune, but it deprived me of my dear wife; who commended to me (finding her difolution approaching) in the moft pathetic terms, the heipleis infant; conjuring me, if ever I married again, to make fuch provifion for the child, as fhould be out of my power to revoke. I promifed her requeft: nay more, I afüred her, during the life of the child, I would never engage in matrimony. She did not outlive many moments, after my latt af furance; but died with that eafy tranquility, to natural to great and good fouls. To be brief, I was fome days abforbed in the greatest grief; but being awakened, by friends, from that lethargic ftate, I re-entered, in a manner, into life, be ing determined, to the utmost of my power, to fulfil the last and dying requeft of a woman who was fo dear to me. The ftate of infancy was pafled over as fucplain narrative, becaufe one part of the procefs is a profound fecret. The remarker thinks, that neither tranfitinftruments, nor equal altitude inftruments, nor any inftruments better than Hadley's quadrant, can be used at fea; and that Hadley's quadrant cannot give two minutes or halfa degree in an actual obfervation. Gent. M. cefsfully as could be wifhed; all the diforders incident to that weak state being happily got over. The time now was to educate him; and having received the beft advice upon that head, I determined, with the confent of all his mother's friends, to have him educated at home, I fpared no expence for proper masters; I gave him every branch of polite, and useful education; in short, to my own great joy, omnes omnia bona dicere, et lau dare, fortunas meas, qui_gnatum haberem tali ingenio præditum. But thefe prailes rendered the conclufion more bitter; and as I have fuffered the extremes of love and hatred, I find nothing has fo mani felt a diftinction. In fhort, he finished his ftudies and travels, to the admiration of every one; and was esteemed a young gentleman endowed with as much pelitele as any of the age. I was now in a manner completely happy; and looked forwards, with plea fure, to that day, on which I was to refign my foul to Providence, and my estate to my fon. But this ferenity of mind was in a little time overclouded, by the unexpected information, from fome of my friends, that my fon was engaging him. felf with a woman highly infamous in her chara&ter, not only in common, as mot young men do, but in marriage. This information, received from fuch good authority, greatly alarmed me, and gave much unealinels to my mind; but not be ing prone to fuspicion, I determined to inquire the truth of the matter of him felt; fully perfuaded, his open and inge nuous heart would not conceal a matter of to great importance, from one in whom he had experienced the best of fa thers. Accordingly. at a convenient time, I prefled it home; and, to my great furprife, found him equivocating, and willing to turn the difcourfe fome other way. I, alarmed at this, was more tenacious of my request, infifling, by the authority of a parent, that he fhould perfectly quiet my mind. He finding I was refolute, afured me, by all the duty he owed to a father, the connection was wholly groundless; nay more, he defired his perfecutors might be confronted with him. This affurance fully fatisfied me; never having, in my whole life, difcovered the leaft tendency of falfehood in him. Tius wrapt in fulleft fecurity, I never, though often folicited to it by my friends, prefied the affair any further to him but rather fhunued thofe who I thought, by giving me the information, wanted to low a difference bet veen myself and fon. O unhappy fecurit. ! O heavenly powers! what pangs might I have faved myself; what mifery might not I have prevented! In short, he married her; he married a prostitute, a drunkard, a thief, and, after marriage, an adulterefs. I received an account of this wedding from under his own hand, in a very fubmiflive letter. Irritated at his falsehood, I determined never to fee him; but being unwilling that he fhould ftarve, I fent him a fettle ment of 400 1. per ann. and acquainted him with my refolution of banithing him from my prefence. To conclude, in about two years they had mortgaged the annuity, and spent every thilling of the money, in rioting, debauchery, and drunkenness When the found the money all spent, and no hopes of any more, the cooled her pretended affection for him, and took up with another man: but happening to go into a linen-draper's shop, to purchase fomne linens, a piece of muflin fo took her eve. that she ftole it: the thing being miled, he was purfued, taken, tried, and tranfported. My ion, fince her elopement, I have not heard of, but doubt he is in fo ne very low way; and as I learn, by having kept a constant eye upon her actions, that he died within a thort space after her arrival at the deftined place, I do now, through the kind channel of your paper, advertise my fon thereof; who, if now he returns, and makes all atonements for his paft, and gives me futficient furety for his future behaviour, I am willing, with all paternal love, to receive: and as he has no cause to con plain of any, or the leaft unkind behaviour of mine towards him, he may fafely rely on my promife. If he chufes to continue in his prefent ftate, I fhall no longer look on him as my fon; but will immediately disinherit him, and in fuch a manner as fhall for ever deprive him of means to gain the eftate. I am, &c. [Lond. Chron.] BENEVOLUS. To the author of the SCOTS MAGAZINE. SIR, Muffelburgh, Aug. 30. 1764. By publishing my obfervation on a piece of antiquity which I met with on Lammermoor hills, you may excite the curiosity of fome perfons to give a better account of it, than your, &c. J. MURRAY. ON Lammermoor hills there is a certain piece of antiquity, which is very fingular for its form, and manner of building. The name of the place is Eedin's Hall, about a mile below the Abbey St Bathan's, four miles north from Dunse, on the banks of White-Water. The manner of building resembles that of Arthur's Oven, which was demo lifhed in our times: That is to lay, It has no cement nor mortar of any kind. The ftones, however, lie very close and compact, the interftices being exactly filled up with finall ftones. Among the mafs of ruins, almost every stone has fome irregular figure cut out upon it, and not one of thefe figures refembles another. I believe, for my part, that the upper part of every ftone has been cut to receive the convexities and ragged furface of its fellow; and that this is the whole mystery of the ngures. The form of it is three concentric circles, fix or seven feet diftant one from another; and the diameter of the innermoft is about twenty feet. In the heart of the walls, there are feveral square holes, which feem to go perpendicular downwards: but what purpofe they could ferve, I cannot form the leaft conjecture. On the fouth of this circular building there are three very deep and wide trenches; and on the head of the outermost trench, the veftiges of a ftone wall, which runs fifty or fixty yards to the west, and then turns northward, following the fweep of the hill, down to the river. It has two entries, one on the fouth, another on the fouth-west, at no great diftance from one another, which run over the trenches. On the east of the circular building are a great number of fquare apartments, and a few round ones: the moft fpacious is that one which is next to the circular building. All these areas are formed of loofe ftones, gathered on the moors; and, when entire, would resemble our dryftone dikes. To the east of Eedin's Hall, you fee the veftiges of feverai camps, the trenches and areas being all very perceptible. that they command the fouth of Scotland, Thefe different camps are fo well cholen, from the borders of England to the frith of Forth, and have been apparently form ed to defend the frontiers. Some will have Eedin's Hall to be a temple of the god Terminus: but the form and manner of building is an invincible argument of the contrary. Befides, the camps will no way antwer the defcription of a Roman one, Others will |