in the Paper-office, and in the Marquis of Lansdowne's Library, you will meet with excellent materials for your work.

Whatever I can do for you in Scotland you may freely suggest. Uniformly desirous of promoting the advancement of useful learning, I rejoice in being superior to vulgar prejudice, which is found as commonly among the great as among the people.

The Papal Bulls hitherto transcribed for me at Rome, contain no new historical facts.

They

to the Scotish Nobles, to remove the Duke of Albany from the government of the young King-sealed with the seals of the chiefs of the Scots.

1492. Writings about the Truce.

1499. The Lord Bothwell and Sir Thomas Tod promise to deliver to Henry, the young King of Scots, for which they acknowledge to have had an advance of 1667. 13s. 4d.

1493. June 25. Sir William Tyler's bond to pay the Abbot of Cambuskenneth fifty pounds.—(A bribe.)

1502. Letter of James IV. to Henry, wherein he declares, that whereas, in a certain Treaty, he had named the King of England King of France, he had done it unawares. This done by the advice of his ambassador in France, Bishop Foreman.

1504. An account of the honorable treatment of Margaret, and of the adorning of her person.

1516. Jan. 8. Articles of agreement between James and Henry VIII., made by the Duke of Albany during the minority-sealed with the seals of thirty-four of the nobility of Scotland.

These are a few only of a large bundle which you will ex

amine.

* In a subsequent letter, which I have not printed, Lord Buchan tells Mr. Pinkerton that he has found among these a pardon for the burning of a Bishop, and killing his

Bulls,

66

are from the middle of the reign of Alexander II. to that of Alexander III. Whatever I have, or shall come to my hands that can serve your purpose, shall be transmitted.

I have reason to believe that the portrait sent me from Kielberg near Tübingen in Suabia by Mr. Goguel the younger, counsellor of the Duke of Wirtemberg, is of James III., and not James I., as he supposed; because the portraits in the gallery are all of them of contemporary sovereigns, Edward IV., Henry VI., &c.

Mr. Van Lytram, the former proprietor of Kielberg, had an ancestor, who was passionately fond of foreign travel, and visited most of the courts in Europe, whence it was his pride to bring portraits of the reigning princes and reigning beauties, which he placed in a Gallery at Kielberg, where they yet remain, and were pointed out to me by my maternal uncle, the late Sir James Stewart Denham, Bart., who resided some time at Tübingen on account of the education of his son.

people, in Caithness, in the thirteenth century;" and, speaking of the state of the Advocates' Library at that period, he says, "I shall be ready to cause this Library to be ransacked, if I learn in what point it may be useful; for such is the scandalous disorder of that collection of manuscripts, that nothing but the wish to illustrate the history of my country in your hands or in the hands of a person of equal ability would induce me to undertake it,"

THE HON. HORACE WALPOLE TO MR.

PINKERTON.

Strawberry Hill, May 26th, 1790. I am sorry I was out of town when you did me the favor of calling. I could have shown you a very Jesuitic letter from the prelate in answer to Lady D.'s application at my request; and of which I should have told you, if I had conceived any hope from it.

I did not at all expect any success from her or my application: I would not refuse you to apply, but I know that I have no credit; and, as I obtain nothing but denials or evasions, I am always most unwilling to solicit what I have no chance of procuring, and what, I assure you, nothing should make me ask for myself. I have not been averse from proving to you that I would have served you if I could; but interest, you perceive, I have none at all. I heartily wish your merit may find more substantial friends than your very insignificant humble servant, &c.

THE EARL OF BUCHAN TO MR. PINKERTON.

Dryburgh Abbey, July 16th, 1790.

I am much pleased with your edition of the Bruce, which I only received a few days ago, owing to the parcel having remained some time at

The Bruce, or the History of Robert I., King of Scotland, written in Scottish verse, by John Barbour: The First Genuine Edition, published from a Manuscript dated 1489, with Notes and a Glossary. London, 1790, 3 vols. 8vo.

my brother the dean of faculty's, before it was forwarded to the country. I shall cause the printed copy to be again compared with the manuscript; that the work may be rendered more correct if it shall be reprinted. I differ from my respectable friends, Lord Hailes and Mr. Davidson, about the publication of Winton's Chronicle, and agree with you in thinking it better to trouble the public with no more than the latter part, from David II. to 1414, filling up the space from thence to 1437 from Bellenden; for which end I wish you to cause your bookseller to offer proposals to the public, which I will second with all my friends and correspondents, to fill up a subscription for 250 copies to defray the expense of printing, and should wish the book to be printed with the same type, and of the same form and size with Bruce, whereby, with Mr. Morison's editions, we may have a Scotch poetical library. Let me know wherein I can be useful to your noble undertaking of a History of Scotland from the accession of Malcolm III. to the death of James V., where, I suppose, you may choose to pause before you venture to proceed on the controversial annals of Mary. I formerly pointed out to you the cloisters at Westminster, as containing many State Papers of high importance, which have been partly examined by Mr. Astle of the Records, who will, I know, at Mr. Walpole's request, render you useful assistance in the investigation. The Marquis of Lansdowne has many volumes of State Papers and letters relating to Scotland; as has the Earl of Hardwicke. I have copies of all the letters and

instructions of State that are in the Cotton Library of the years 1581-2, which will be imparted for your use when you desire; and I shall with continued attention do every thing in my power to forward a design which I think so commendable, and so likely both to gratify the public and to increase your reputation, which, in my opinion, has been no way shaken by the ill-humor of our antiquarian enthusiasts.

If you choose to give engraved portraits of the most eminent statesmen, &c. in your History of Scotland, for the decoration of the work, I advise such only to be given as have not been hitherto engraved such as the regents Mar and Moray, Maitland of Lethington, &c., some of which are in my collection, and would be cheerfully copied for your use, and an appendix of curious and characteristic original Scotch papers not formerly printed, which would much increase the number of purchasers of the book.

I thank you for the handsome and acceptable manner in which you have mentioned my name in your preface to Bruce; and I shall endeavour to deserve the ratification of your sentence by the public and by a more impartial posterity.

MR. PINKERTON TO THE EARL OF BUCHAN.

Kentish Town, July 19th, 1790.

I expected that Mr. Nicol would have sent you a copy of Barbour before now; but, as his many avocations have made him forget it, I have written