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224 denounce any union at all, but they insisted that it ought only to be a federal one, by which they contended Scotland would still, whilst co-operating with England in everything necessary for the good of the realm at large, maintain her ancient dignity, retain her parliament, her constitution, and ancient sovereignty. When they found themselves in a minority even on this point, they contended that it was not in the power of parliament to settle so momentous a question; that the session ought to be adjourned for a short time, in order that the members might go down to their constituents, and thus learn what was really the mind of the nation. Failing in this, they exerted themselves to get a host of petitions sent up from the boroughs, claiming to have a right on the part of the constituents to instruct and limit their representatives, and warning them, above all things, to go no further than a federal union.

In order to lead to a popular demonstration, the opponents moved that there should be a day set apart for public prayer and fast, therein seeking the will of God as to the union. The parliament did not oppose this, and the 18th of October was settled for this purpose; but it passed off very well both in town and country, and the incendiaries were disappointed. Another mode of overawing the parliament was then resorted to. Rumours were set afloat that the people would turn out altogether, and come to the parliament house, and cry "No union!" They would seize on the regalia and carry them to the castle for safety. And, in fact, a great mob followed the duke of Hamilton, who was carried to and from the house in a chair, owing to some temporary lameness; but the guards stopped them at the gates of Holyrood, whereupon they declared that they would return the next day a thousand times stronger, and pull the traitors out of their houses, and so put an end to the union in their own way. And the next day, the 23rd of October, they did assemble in dense crowds, filling the Parliament Close, and crowding the door, so that members had much difficulty in getting out at the close of the sitting. As soon as the duke of Hamilton entered his chair, they raised loud hurrahs, and followed his chair in a body. Hamilton, instead of taking his usual route to the abbey of Holyrood, went up the High Street to the Lawn Market, and to the house of the duke of Athol, his great coadjutor in opposition. This was supposed to be done to bring the mob directly to the spot where lived also one of the most zealous advocates of the union, Sir Patrick Johnstone, the late lord provost, and one of the commissioners of the treaty. At all events, as Sir Patrick lived exactly opposite to the duke of Athol, it had the effect of bringing the fury of the mob upon him; for, no sooner had the duke of Hamilton entered Athol's house, than the crowd turned, and attacked the house of Sir Patrick. They assaulted it with clubs and stones, and endeavoured to beat in the door with sledge hammers. Had they succeeded, Sir Patrick and his family would undoubtedly have been massacred. But the alarm was given, a troop of soldiers appeared, cleared the street, and seized half a dozen of the ringleaders. More soldiers were obliged to be called out, and a rumour being abroad that a thousand seamen were coming up from Leith to join the rioters, the city guards were marched into the Parliament Close, and took possession of all the avenues. A battalion of guards was also stationed at the palace, the garrison in the castle was kept in readiness for action, and a troop of dragoons guarded the ministers wherever they went.

Defeated in their object of overawing the parliament, the opposition now cried mightily that the parliament was overawed by soldiers, and that the treaty was being crammed down the throat of the public by bayonets; that this was the beginning of that slavery to which the country was about to be reduced. But Queensberry and his friends replied that there was much greater danger of coercion from an ignorant and violent mob, than from the orderly soldiery, who made no attempt whatever to influence the deliberations. Whilst these scenes were passing in Edinburgh, the same stimulus to riots was applied all over the country, and news came flying in that there were disturbances now in the north, now the south, now the east, now the west. Thus the country was kept in continual alarm. It was declared that all the Cameronians were up to a man in the west, and the act of some two or three hundred of that sect who marched into Dumfries and burnt the articles of union at the market-cross, and then dispersed, was exaggerated into the most fearful excesses. On the whole, however, the intentions of the opponents to involve the country in chaos and bloodshed, and so to ruin the treaty, were defeated. The presbyterians kept quiet. They saw too many of their real enemies, the Jacobites, the nonjurors, the papists, busy in these incendiary manœeuvres, to believe that it meant any good; and though it was daily declared in Edinburgh that at least twelve thousand men from the west were ready, horse and foot, to march down upon the city and compel the parliament to abandon the union, no such force appeared, and the deliberations went on.

Every article, indeed, was resisted seriatim. Hamilton, Athol, Fletcher of Siltoun, Belhaven, were vehement and persevering in their opposition; but still, with some modifications, the articles were carried one after another. In the midst of the contention, Hamilton was confounded by receiving a letter from lord Middleton, at the court of St. Germains, desiring, in the name of the pretender, that the opposition to the union should cease; for that his grace (the pretender) had it much at heart to give his sister this proof of his ready compliance with her wishes; nothing doubting but that he should one day have it in his power to restore Scotland to its ancient weight and independence. Hamilton was desired to keep this matter, however, a profound secret, as the knowledge of it at this time might greatly prejudice the cause and the interests of his master both in Scotland and England. Hamilton was thus thoroughly paralysed in his opposition, and, at the same time, was in the awkward position of not being able to explain his sudden subsidence into inaction.

On the other hand, the English government saw the advantage of distributing a liberal sum of money amongst the patriots of Scotland. Twenty thousand pounds were sent down for this purpose, and the passage of the union, aided by a still more liberal distribution of promises of places, honours, and of compensation to those who had been sufferers in the Darien scheme. By these means the opposition was sufficiently soothed down to enable the ministers to