On Thursday at 12 o'clock, agreeable to appointment, the Lord Provost and Magistrates, and one of the City Clerks, in their robes of office, attended by the mace and sword-bearers, proceeded in carriages from the Council Chamber to the Royal Hotel, the residence of the Grand Duke Nicholas, in order to present him with the freedom of the city, which was voted by the Town Council, at their meeting on Wednesday last. They were received in form by the Grand Duke, attended by Baron Nicholay, General Kutusoff, Sir William Congreve, Dr Crichton, and others of his suite, when the Lord Provost addressed his Imperial Highness in name of the Council, and put into his hands the diploma of the freedom of the city, with the seal affixed. The Grand Duke, addressing the Lord Provost in French, expressed his, regret, that, from not being sufficiently acquainted with the English language, he could not make a proper reply, but directed Baron Nicolai, who knew his sentiments, to make his acknowledgments for the attention paid him, which he did in a very appropriate manner. His Imperial Highness conversed for some time with the Lord Provost, and the deputation then withdrew, and returned to the Council Chamber in the same order. In the afternoon, the Lord Provost gave a splendid entertainment, at his house in Charlotte Square, to the Grand Duke and his suite.-Among the company present were, The Earls of Morton, Haddington, Wemyss, Leven, Hopetoun, and FifeLord James Murray-Lord Binning-Lord President-Lord Register-Lord Advocate -Lord Justice Clerk-Lord Chief Commissioner-Solicitor-General-Gen. Hope, Commander of the Forces--Admiral Sir William Johnstone Hope-Sir John HaySir William Rae-Captain D'Este-Dr Rogerson-the Magistrates, and several gentlemen of the city and neighbourhood, among whom were several eminent literary. characters. On the desert being removed, the health of the King was drank, accompanied by "God save the King," sung by an excellent professional band. The Lord Provost then proposed the health of the Emperor Alexander: upon which the following verses, composed for the occasion, were sung by the band, adapted to the celebrated air of Dr Haydn's "God save the Emperor Francis;" all of which, and particularly the allusion in the last verse, were received by the company with much applause :— God protect brave Alexander! Heaven defend the noble Czar ! Mighty Russia's high Commander, First in Europe's banded war. For the realms he did deliver From the Tyrant overthrown, Thou, of every good the Giver, Grant him long to bless his own. Victor over Europe's foes, Grant in peace his reign may close. His Imperial Highness then requested jeave to give a toast, and proposed The Health of the Prince Regent. The health of the Grand Duke was next given, to which his Imperial Highness replied, by proposing, as a toast, The Prosperity of the City of Edinburgh, of which he was now a citizen. The Lord Provost then proposed the health of Lieutenant-General the Earl of Hopetoun, and, in an appropriate address, expressed the satisfaction he felt in the present opportunity of presenting to him, in a gold box, the freedom of the city, voted by the Town Council during the chief magistracy of his predecessor, Sir John Marjoribanks, in testimony of their high consideration of the many brilliant achievements performed by his Lordship during the late and former wars. To the address of the Lord Provost, an elegant and animated reply was made by Lord Hopetoun. The next toast was A long continuance to the Union now subsisting between Russia and Great Britain. The Lord Provost then proposed The health of the Empress Dowager of Russia; a toast which seemed very gratifying to the feelings of his Imperial Highness. The company afterwards retired to the drawing-room, and after conversing for a short time, the Grand Duke, accompanied by his suite, withdrew. On Sunday, the Grand Duke, dressed in the Russian military uniform, and on horseback, inspected the 6th dragoon guards, and the 92d regiment, in front of his hotel in Prince's Street, attended by severals of his suite, along with Major-General Hope and the North British Staff. The Prince afterwards visited Heriot's Hospital, the College, Riding School in Nicolson Street, &c. and on Monday, his Imperial Highness set off for Glasgow, where, after visiting the Iron Works at Carron, &c. on his way, he arrived on Tuesday evening; and set off again from thence, for London, by the way of Carlisle, &c. Previous to his departure from Glasgow, Baron Nicolai, by his Imperial Highness's command, intimated, in the most delicate manner, to Mr Finlay, that the Grand Duke, having heard of the distress under which many persons were now labouring, was desirous of contributing towards their relief, and had requested that the sum of £.100 might be added, in his Imperial Highness's name, to the subscription which, he understood, was then going on for their relief. The Grand Duke, when in Edinburgh, having been desirous to be informed of the nature of the extensive buildings which are now carrying on on the Calton Hill, and in other places in this city, Mr Elliot, at the Lord Advocate's request, had the honour to 'wait on his Imperial Highness with his drawings of the Regent's Bridge, the New Jail, the County Buildings, and the Chapel in York Place. The Grand Duke directed these plans to be left with him for minute consideration, and, before his departure, was politely pleased to send the following message: "The Grand Duke, through Sir William Congreve, thanks Mr Elliot for the gratifi'cation he has afforded him in the perusal of the drawings of the works which are now going on under his direction in Edinburgh. The drawings have enabled him to form a correct idea of the magnificence of those works, which, when finished, will do the greatest credit to all parties concerned." His Imperial Highness, previous to his -departure from the Royal Hotel, made a present of £.10 to the serjeant of the 92d Highlanders, who had attended him as orderly during his residence in this capital; at the same time took down his name, and shook hands with him at parting, an example which was immediately followed by all the gentlemen of his suite. He presented a like sum of £.10 to the non-commissioned officers and privates of the grenadier company of that corps, who had been on guard over him during the week, and ex pressed himself much pleased with their appearance and conduct. COLLEGE OF EDINBURGH. The Parliamentary Commissioners, consisting of the Right Honourable the Lord President, the Lord Justice Clerk, the Lord Chief Baron, the Lord Chief Commissioner, the Lord Advocate, the Right Hon. the Lord Provost, William Dundas, Esq. M. P. Sir John Marjoribanks, of Lees, Bart. Hugh Warrender, Esq. the very Rev. Principal Baird, and Andrew Duncan, jun. M. D. appointed to manage the yearly grant of £10,000 voted by Parliament to be laid out in finishing the College of Edinburgh, met on Wednesday the 4th December in order to receive plans and specifications for the completion of the building. The plan of Mr William Playfair being adopted, the prize of 100 guineas was adjudged to that gentleman. The second prize of 80 guineas was awarded to Mr Burn. Accord ing to Mr Playfair's plan, we understand that the exterior of the building, as originally planned by Adams, is to be retained, with very little alteration; but there will be a total departure from the internal arrangements. The southern side of the quadrangle is to be occupied almost entirely by the Library, which will be 190 feet long, and one of the most elegant rooms in the kingdom. The western side is to be appropriated to the Museum, and the other two sides are to be occupied chiefly as Class rooms. The original proposal of accommodating the Professors with houses in the College, is entirely abandoned. We underture, which will be a lasting monument of stand the whole of this magnificent structhe national taste, will be completed in six or seven years. SHOP TAX. It is generally known, that in the course of last year notices were given by the assessors of taxes to the shopkeepers of this city, that, in future, shops and warehouses were to be made liable to the house tax. This proceeding excited, as might have been expected, very general surprise, and, as the universal impression seemed to be, that the act afforded no ground for this extension of the tax, it was resolved by the parties interested, to resist, by every lawful means, this demand, as an illegal exaction. The case of Mr Andrew Mellis, who has a shop on the South Bridge, was accordingly selected to be tried, and the cause being brought before the City and County Commissioners, was decided against the Crown. The Solicitor having appealed to the Barons of Exchequer, the case was, on the 20th December, decided in favour of Mr Andrew Mellis; the Barons having affirmed the judgment of the inferior Courts. RELIEF OF WORKMEN OUT OF EMPLOY MENT. The measure adopted in Edinburgh, as stated in our last Number, of a general subscription, in behalf of workmen suffering from the general depression of trade and commerce, has been followed in almost every town in Scotland, and in general the subscriptions have been liberal. In the course of this month, the committee of management in Edinburgh have had in their employment upwards of 1600 men. The wages were at first one shilling per day, besides an allowance of soup and meal to those who have families; but in consequence of the immense number of applicants, the committee have been obliged to reduce them to five shillings per week. The workmen are employed on the Calton Hill, Burntsfield Links, and in the North Loch. The improvements in progress are as follow: On the Calten Hill, forming serpen tine walks, &c. to the Observatory, and Nelson's Monument, and making a spacious promenade round the hill, with an easy communication to the Regent's Road; for the embellishment of this promenade Bailie Henderson has subscribed 500 plants, and provided a quantity of working imple. ments at prime cost. In the North Loch, the men are sloping the bank on the south side eastward of the mound; are to form the whole into a bleaching-green, sink wells, &c.; and in Burntsfield-links they are levelling and enlarging the Golf-ground. Nearly £.7000, including £1000 from the Prince Regent, has been subscribed already in Edinburgh; in addition to which, Mr Allan has subscribed £.1000, the city of Edinburgh £.1000, and Heriot's Hospital, £1000, to be applied in making the Parlia mentary Road from Picardy Place, to com municate with the London Road, near Piershill barracks, which undertaking will, it is expected, be speedily commenced. The committee, by an application to Government, have obtained the use of a number of wheel-barrows, spades, &c. which were collected at the time of a threatened invasion, and afterwards deposited in the Ordnance stores in the Castle. MISCELLANEOUS OCCURRENCES. The Magistrates of Glasgow and Paisley have transmitted memorials to the Lords Commissioners of his Majesty's Treasury, enforcing the policy and expediency of a repeal, in the approaching session of Parliament, of the unproductive, and, to the labouring and industrious classes, severe assessment on inhabited houses, usually denominated" the Cottage Tax." Meetings to petition the legislature for a reform in the House of Commons, for a reduction of public expenditure, and the abolition of the sinecure places, &c. have been held in almost every village and parish in the west of Scotland. An Dec. 20. Several hundred skaters enjoyed that elegant exercise at Lochend near Edinburgh, on remarkably fine ice. opportunity occurred of proving the promptness and efficacy of the means provided by the Skating Club for rendering the amusement safe to the public. The only weak part of the ice was, as usual, found out by an unlucky boy, with whom it immediately gave way; in truth, he skated off the strong ice into a part which was little more than water. The circular rope was instantly drawn, on the alarm being given, and reaching him in a few seconds, gave him a hold. To extricate him was more difficult: the grappling pole was pushed to him, but his hands were so much benumbed that he could not trust to it alone. By this time the ladder had arrived, along which the person who is stationed for the purpose went on hands and knees, and taking hold of the boy, placed him safely on the ladder, when both were drawn out. The boy had a safe hold in a few seconds, and was entirely extricated in five minutes.-His situation, from his own folly, was one of unusual difficulty. This satisfastory instance, it is hoped, will induce the multitudes of gentlemen who resort to the ice to give their support to the plan more liberally than hither to. Upwards of £.30 of the first expence is yet to pay; and we understand that, in the winter, a shilling from each skater will be sufficient afterwards to maintain the establishment at both lochs. The Humane Society apparatus has been procured for both Lochend and Duddingston Losh. 22. This evening, (Sunday) a shocking occurrence took place in a public house on Leith Walk. A man and his wife, coming from Leith to Edinburgh, had gone in to drink, and had sat for a short time along with some others, when the company were alarmed by a frantic scream from the woman-she had that instant discovered that a suckling infant she held at her breast, covered by a shawl, was lifeless. In fact, the poor child had been suffocated by the inattention of its mother. 27. About five in the evening, a man, by profession a hawker, on his way from Dalkeith Dalkeith to Edinburgh, was attacked betwixt the second and third mile-stone from Edinburgh, by two men in the habit of carters, in dark-coloured long coats, with large metal buttons, who accosted him in the south country dialect, whether he came from Dalkeith? and had no sooner passed him, than one of them struck him down with a stick, when they robbed him of three one pound notes, one of them of the Dundee bank, twelve shillings in silver, an umbrella, a pair of stockings, and the shoes off his feet, and left him in such a state that it was with difficulty he reached Edinburgh that night. The Earl of Rosslyn has presented the Rev. Mr Murray, minister of the Chapel of Ease, Dunfermline, to the second charge of the church and parish of Dysart, in room of the Rev. Mr Brotherston, appointed to the first charge. The Judge of the High Court of Admiralty in Scotland has been pleased to ap. point Mr George William Boyd, W. S. one of the Procurators in that Court. Office-bearers of the Commercial Bank of D. G. Sandeman, Esq. Sam. Paterson, Esq. and Extraordinary Directors. Colonel Alexander Macgregor Murray, of Donald Macleod of Geanies, Esq. William Inglis of Middleton, Esq. William Carlisle, Esq. Paisley Robert Stodart, Esq. Queen's Street, Edinburgh James Smith, Esq. Leith (From the London Gazette.) July 24. Alexander Morison, M. D. to be Physician Extraordinary to their Royal and Serene Highnesses the Princess Charlotte and the Prince Leopold. Dec. 10. Major General Sir David Ochterlony, Bart. and Knight Commander of the Most Honourable Military Order of the Bath, to be a Knight Grand Cross of the said Most Honourable Military Order. 21. To be Companions of the Most Honourable Military Order of the Bath :Lieut.-Col. John Burnett, 8th regiment Bengal native infantry, Lieut. Col. Joseph O'Halloran, 18th regiment, Bengal native infantry. 24. The Right Hon. Stapleton, Lord Combermere, Knight Grand Cross of the Most Honourable Military Order of the Bath, Lieutenant-General of his Majesty's Forces, and Commander of the Forces on the Windward and Leeward Island station, to be Captain-General and Governor in Chief in and over the island of Barbadoes. 28. His Royal Highness the Prince Regent has been pleased, in the name and on the behalf of his Majesty, by letters patent under the Great Seal of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, bearing date the 24th day of December 1816, to revoke the commission appointing Osborne Markham, Esq. together with John Fisher, and Alexander Lorraine, Esqrs. Commissioners for the affairs of Barracks, and to appoint Osborne Markham, Esq. to be Comptroller of the Barrack Department. His Royal Highness has also been pleased to appoint Edward Boscawen Frede. rick, Esq. to be Deputy-Comptroller of the Barrack Department. 1817. Jan. 1. Major-Gen. Herbert Taylor to be Treasurer to her Majesty, in the room of the Earl of Effingham, deceased.. 7. Lieut.-General Sir Gordon Drummond, Knight Commander of the Most Honourable Military Order of the Bath, to be a Knight Grand Cross of the said Most Honourable Order, vice Lieutenant-General Sir James Leith, deceased. Lieut.-General Sir Alexander Campbell, Bart. to be a Knight Commander of the Most Honourable Military Order of the Bath, vice Lieutenant-General Sir Gordon Drummond. BIRTHS. BIRTHS. Nov. 30. At Priors, in Essex, the Lady of Lieut.-Col. Hamilton, of the 3d guards, a daughter. Dec. 5. At Dumfries, the wife of William Heron, Esq. of Marchfield, a son and heir. 9. At Dublin, the Lady of D. S. Ranaldson Dickson, Esq. of Blairhall, a son. 14. At Balbirnie House, the Lady of Major-General Balfour, a son. 15. At Stevenson-house, the Lady of Sir John Gordon Sinclair of Murkle, Bart. a daughter. 17. In Frederick Street, the Lady of Captain John A. Durie, late of the 92d regi ment, a son. 19. At the Royal Hospital, Dublin, the Lady of Capt. Miller, Aide-de-Camp to the Commander of the Forces, a daughter. 23. In Shandwick Place, Mrs Miller of Glenlee, a son. At Garry Cottage, near Perth, the Lady of Col. Macdonell, of Glengarry, a son. - In Ireland, the Lady of William E. Lees, Esq. a son-on the 24th, the Lady of Thomas Lees, Esq. a son-on the 25th, the Lady of John C. Lees, Esq. a son-and on the 30th, the Lady of Sir H. Lees, Bart. a son and heir. 25. At York Place, Mrs Boyd, of Broadmeadows, a daughter. Jan. 4. At Cortachy Castle, the Lady of the Hon. Donald Ogilvy, a daughter. 8. At Islabank, the Lady of Peter Wedderburn, Esq. a daughter. MARRIAGES. Aug. 9. At Calcutta, John Frederick Ellerton, Esq. of the Company's Civil Service, to Miss Mouat Keith, eldest daughter of Capt. Sir George Mouat Keith, Bart. royal navy. Dec. 5. The Rev. William Laing, Crieff, to Miss Jane Gregory, Calton Hill, Edinburgh. 9. At Methven Manse, John Coxetter Snell, Esq. of his Majesty's navy, to Miss Bisset, daughter of the late Andrew Bisset, Esq. writer in Edinburgh. 10. At Aberdeen, the Rev. Alex. Keith, minister of St Cyrus, to Jane, eldest daughter of Mr John Blaikie, plumber in Aberdeen.. 17. Joseph Whitehead, Esq. Paisley, to Janet, third daughter of William Dixon, Esq. of Palace Craig. -At Aberdeen, David Reid, Esq. surgeun, royal navy, to Agnes, third daughter of the late Alex. Dyce, Esq. of Tilligreig. 20. At the manse of Alyth, the Rev. John Macpherson Cunnynghame, minister of Newtyle, to Margaret, daughter of the Rev. Colin Symers. 24. At Dundee, Mr Murray, writer, Edinburgh, to Miss Cochrane, daughter of Dr Cochrane, Dundee. 25. At the manse of Newton-upon-Ayr, Captain Archibald Fullarton, late of his Majesty's 38th regiment of foot, to Miss Jane, eldest daughter of the Rev. Dr Peebles. Jan. 6. At Edinburgh, John Polwarth, Esq. factor for the Right Hon. Lord Keith, to Miss Adams, daughter of the late Henry Adams, Esq. of Lincoln's Inn, London. 7. At Linkwood, George Robertson, Esq. one of the Depute Keepers of the Records of Scotland, to Eliza, youngest daughter of the late George Brown, Esq. DEATHS. July 19. At Calcutta, James Scott, Esq. Sept. 18. At Antigua, Jas. Cruickshank, Esq. of the island of St Vincent. 19. At St Ann's, in the island of Barbadoes, Quarter Master - Serjeant Gregor M'Gregor, of the King's Own Borderers-a zealous, trust-worthy, and faithful non-commissioned officer, a man of sound principles, and of the strictest integrity. Nov. 16. At Builth, in Wales, aged 91, the brave veteran Serjeant Davies, of the 58th regiment of foot. In 1758 he was at the taking of Louisbourg, Gasprey, and Mount Louis, in Cape Breton, America; in 1759, was at the taking of Quebec; in 1760, was at the taking of Mount Rial; in 1761, was at the siege of the Havannah, when he was taken prisoner, and carried to the island of Hispaniola, and removed to Brest. Lord Howe gave the challenge that Serjeant Davies should charge and discharge his musket oftener in a minute than any soldier in the battalion, which he did, and gained a considerable bet for his Commander. He had been known to kill 70 brace of woodcocks in the season. 23. Nicholas Garvey, Esq. of Tully, in the county of Mayo, at the advanced age of 107 years. He possessed his mental faculties to the latest moments of his existence. He was much esteemed through life, and has left a respected lady, the partner of his life for more than 60 years, now in her 99th year, to lament her separation from an affectionate husband. 26. At Leith, in the 77th year of his age, Wm. Sibbald, Esq formerly of Liverpool. Dec. 3. At her residence in Sloane Street, London, Eliz. Theodora Chalmers, sister of Major-Gen. Sir John Chalmers, K. C. B. 3. At Glasgow, of the wounds he received at the battle of Salamanca, Lieut. Jokn Anderson, of the 38th regiment of foot, bro ther |
