Page:The Peerage, Baronetage and Knightage of the British Empire Part 2.djvu/14

 INTRODUCTORY NOTICE. The Order, with the same qiialifications, privileges, and badge, was extended to Ireland 30 Sept. 1619, but no creation has taken place since that of Sir Jonah Denny Whed^ Cuflfe, 1 Oct. 1799. The Scottish Order of Knights Baronets originated in the project for the coloniiii- tion of a part of North America. King James granted a charter of the Barony of New Scotland to Sir William Alexander, afterwards Earl of Stirling, 10 Sept. 1621, and by his request granted a charter of the Barony of Galloway in New Scotland to Sir Robert Gordon of Lochinvar, 8 Nov. following. A proclamation issued by the Scottisb Privy Council, dated 30 Nov. 1624, in accordance with a letter from the King, 18 Oct. preceding, announcing the King's resolution to create one hundred baronets, and requested that the intended recipients of the honour should appear before the Council to record their names. The King died 27 March following. Charles I. within three months of his accession confirmed the charters of King James, and also created Sir Robert Gordon, 2nd son of Alexander, Earl of Sutherland, premier Baronet by charter 28 May, 1625, with remainder to his heirs male whomsoever. A warrant of the King, dated 17 Nov. 1629, authorised the following cognizance of the Order to be worn round the neck, namely, an orange tawny silk ribbon, whereon should be pendent, in an escutcheon arg. a saltire az., thereon an inescutcheon of the arms of Scotland; above the escutcheon an imperial crown, and encircled with the motto " Fax mentis honestae gloria." Nova Scotia was nominally divided into baronies with an allotment of land to each, and Sir William was empowered in the terms of his charter to dispose of them, with the hereditary dignitary, to persons of rank and distinction upon payment of a stipulated sum. The number was not to exceed one hundred and fifty, and the sum payable by each was 3,000 marks (equivalent to £166 13s. 4tZ.); of this one-third was to be appropriated by Sir William, and the remainder he covenanted to expend in " setting forth a colonic of men, furnished with necessarie provision, to be planted by him, his aires or their deputies, within the said country and dominion of New Scotland, be the advyse of the said Sir Robert Gordon and the remanent Baronetts of .Scotland, adventurers in the plantation of the same." This instrument is dated at Loiidon 4 June, 1625. Every baronet was to have " heritably disponed unto him six thousand good and sufficient acres of Nova Scotia ground at 6(7. per acre." The precept for a charter to each knight baronet was granted in the name of Sir William Alexander, who surrendered to the crown the respective pro- portions of the said lordship of New Scotland, to be attached to the baronetcy, with al} the privileges of regality, &c. Sir William Alexander was appointed Lieutenant and Admiral of New Scotland, b|9l without any obligation of personal service, and there is no evidence to show that he ercpr set foot on the soil, though his son, Sir William, was there in 1629 ; and further th? original patentees were entirely free from personal seiTice, inasmuch as they were allowed to take possession of their transatlantic temtory by deed of infeftment within the walls of Edinburgh Castle. Thus it would seem that more efforts were made for the creation of the knights baronets than for the enforcement on the undertakers of the original scheme of colonization, until the whole matter degenerated into an easy method of raisin|[ money by the sale of hereditaiy titles. About 1630 Sir William himself transferred fpr a valuaVjle consideration to Claude St. Estienne, Seigneur de la Tour, a French Huguenot, the whole of his territorial rights and possessions of Nova Scotia, still to remain subject io the Crown of Scotland, Port Royal excepted, which arrangement was confiraied by tie King of France. No creations have been made since 1707. The Baronets possess no political privileges as a body, and, consequently, no such means are provided as in the case of the Peers for ascertaining their succession. In ordinary cases no doubts occur, but when the heir is only to be found by reverting to the