She confirmed a great number of persons, informed "himself of the wants of the people, removed "abuses, announced to the poor catholics the word "of God, and exhorted them to constancy in their "faith. From his relation, it appears that the "number of catholics in these parts, was, at this "time, considerable. Many islands were peopled "entirely with catholics, and, at one place, the apostolic vicar confirmed more than seven hun"dred persons. He found these good moun“taineers, regular in the observance of moral duty, respectful towards the clergy, and punctual ob"servers of the laws of the church. Some catholics “in these mountains had, not many years before, "been put to death by the cruel Porringer, for refusing to renounce their religion. Mr. Nichol

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son encouraged the priests, and nominated two "sub-vicars, Mr. Munro and Mr. Morgan, antient "missionaries, whose experience and services ren"dered them worthy of this confidence. He em"powered them to make visitations of his diocese, desiring them to inform him of the condition of things. He himself visited the school of Arasaick, upon which he built his hopes, and which “served as a kind of preparatory school for the "children intended to be sent to the Scottish "school at Paris.-This school was the principal "resource for the education of priests designed "for the Scottish mission. Besides this college, "there was one at Rome, one at Ratisbon; and "the Scottish Benedictines had three catholic "establishments in Germany."

In a subsequent part of this work, (vol. ii. p. 199), -the same author informs us, that in 1726*, Scotland was divided into two apostolical vicariats; one, for the high, the other, for the low-lands.

He proceeds to state, that "the unsuccessful at"tempts of the Stuarts in 1715 and 1745, occa"sioned an increase of severity towards the catho"lics. Their churches," he says, " and a seminary, "which they had at Scalan, were destroyed; and

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great attempts made to apprehend the ecclesias"tics; they hid themselves, but several were found. "Mr. Colin Campbell died in consequence of the "bad treatment which he received: the fathers "Gordon and Cameron, of the society of Jesus, were imprisoned. Eight others, after lying long "in prison, were sent into perpetual banishment; "soldiers were employed in discovering the priests, "and those who discovered them were amply re"warded. In the midst of the general consterna"tion, which all this occasioned, Mr. Hugh Macdonald, bishop of Dia, and vicar-apostolic in the highlands, retired to France: he had been particularly designated to the soldiers. He remained many years in exile; Mr. James Gordon, the vicar-apostolic of the low-lands, died during "these troubles. Mr. Alexander Smith, bishop of Misinopolis, his coadjutor and successor, kept "himself in obscurity at Edinburgh. He had been " often denounced to the magistrates, and searches "made to discover him. These proceedings werè "continued, long after every pretence for them Bishop Hay places this event in 1731.

*

was at an end. The memoirs, which we have "before us, are full of relations of the severities "exercised towards the catholics in general, and "the clergy in particular. In 1751, two priests, "Mr. Grant and Mr. Gordon, were taken up, and "the latter banished. Mr. Robert Maitland was "tried and found guilty. Rewards were given "for discovering a priest. The bishop of Dia, who "had returned to his vicariat, was pursued and "sought refuge in Edinburgh. There he was "apprehended, and sentenced to imprisonment.

"Such, at this time, were the troubles of the "Scottish mission. The catholics interceded, in "vain, for a cessation of these molestations. They "employed the English vicars-apostolic, and even "the ambassadors of the foreign powers, residing " in London, to second their applications for relief. "The rigour, with which they were treated, was the "more surprising, as a system of conduct, totally "different, was, at this time, adopted in regard to "the English catholics."

"The American war," says the same author, (vol. ii. p. 632), " gave his majesty's government "an opportunity of manifesting sentiments of a "wiser policy. In a moment of alarm, from the "revolt of the American colonies, one of his majesty's judges in Scotland, (the late sir John "Dalrymple), applied to Mr. George Hay, bishop "of Dawlis, and vicar-apostolic in Scotland, for "information respecting the general sentiments of persons of his communion on that subject; and

co-operation, with the views of the English government. Mr. Hay expressed, in the strongest "terms, his attachment to the existing constitu"tion. The assurances of the respectable prelate, "were confirmed by the readiness with which the "catholics enrolled themselves in the levies, then raising for the American service. A letter of "Mr. Hay to this effect was communicated to government.-At the same time, father Arthur "O'Leary published in Ireland an address, in "which he exhorted the catholics of Ireland to "remain faithful to the existing government."

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LXXXV. 3.

Riots in Edinburgh and Glasgow, in the year 1780.

In a former part of this work*, mention has been made of the act, which was passed in the year 1778, for the relief of the English catholics; and of the riots, which followed in 1780. The act did not extend to Scotland." But," says the Annual Register for the year 1780, (History of Europe, page 26)," some gentlemen of consi"deration and authority in the northern part of "the united kingdom, expressed their warm wishes "in parliament, that its benefits were extended to "those of that communion in their own country; "and as the season was then too far advanced, "declared their intention of bringing in a bill for "that purpose in the ensuing session. Similar "sentiments seemed to prevail during the recess, * Ante, vol. ii. c. lxxvii.

with some others; and, as that spirit of intole"rance, which had once so peculiarly distinguished "Scotland from other reformed countries, was "supposed to have been in a great measure worn "away, along with the darkness of the times, "from which such a disposition generally derives "its force; it was scarcely imagined that the in"tended measure of relief would have produced any considerable degree of opposition, or even of

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murmur.

"The general assembly of the church of Scot"land happened to be sitting at the very time that "the English act was in agitation; and that body rejected, by a majority of above an hundred "voices, a motion then made, for a remonstrance "to parliament against the passing of the bill. "This instance of moderation in the national "church could not but afford great encouragement "to the catholics in Scotland to hope, that they "should be permitted to partake of the indulgence "which had been granted to their brethren in

England, and in Ireland. They accordingly prepared a petition to parliament, and employed "counsel to frame the outlines of a bill for that 66 purpose.

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"While matters were in this train, an inflammatory pamphlet, against the doctrines and members "of popery, representing the latter as inimical to "all states, and as the common enemies of man"kind, was written by a nonjuring clergyman, “ printed at the expence of the society for propa