A RESOLUTION has been formed, and highly approved of by the public, to promote a Biographical Hiftory of Scotland, exhibiting an illuftration of the lives of her citizens who have added to her fame by arms, by arts, or by fciences.

To this refolution was added, that of affixing, by ballot, under the purest and ftricteft regulations, the portraits of virtuous and illuftrious countrymen and fellow citizens, in the Museum of the fociety, with a view to restore that noble and generous thirst for fame, gave birth to the glorious efforts of antient virtue and patriotifm in Greece and Italy.

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I HAVE authority to inform you, that Lord Mountsteuart, and fome other illuftrious perfons, will cordially fupport this plan with their purses, as well as by their intereft; and, indeed, this idea, as well as that of all the general public inftitutions of the society, cannot but be highly relished by every person, except that woeful man, who, pining with malignant hatred to God and man, fits, with his haggard countenance and livid eye, at a distance from the blaze of public virtue, fneering at the preparation of fuch rewards as his little foul cannt aspire to, or, if it could, would have filthy lucre asthe motive of his ambition.

If we are hearty in the prosecution of our plan of Scottish Biography, I am perfuaded that the opulent heads of families in this country will contribute the plates of their illuftrious ancestors, for the decoration of the work; and that all our ingenious members and countrymen, who have been accustomed to that fpecies of writing, will afford their affiftance for the compofition of new and elegant lives, where fuch are wanting, or to polish, correct, and enrich those which have been already written.

IT has also been propofed, My Lords and Gentlemen, to publish a specimen of a collection of the Antient Chartularies of Scotland; a work, much wanted, and which can only be produced by the gradual attention and labour of a fociety.

To this work it has been propofed to add explanatory notes, and an ample gloffary.

To thofe refearches and useful undertakings, I beg leave to re commend to the society the promotion of collections for a Topographical and Etymological Dictionary of the Celtic Language, purged from all far ftretched resemblances, and over ftrained coincidences, which have brought this department of philology into too much difregard,

THE names of mountains, rivers, great caverns, and fields of battle, as I have formerly obferved, do not commonly yield to the language of conquerors or purchasers; and, where the names are defcriptive of the fituation or circumftances of the place, the most effectual check is open to detect the errors of topographical etymology."

I HAVE NOW, My Lords and Gentlemen, mentioned the moft important transactions of this fociety fince its inftitution; and I cannot help thinking, that the tendency of all our inquiries, and the fpirit of our inftitution, muft lead to the prevention or the removal of thofe vices which are undoubtedly the forerunners of political diffolution, viz. Undifciplined contempt of lawful authority and fuperior rank in the ftate; irreverence towards parents and protectors; want of respect for old and virtuous perfons in poverty; disuse of manly exercifes and laborious erudition; difregard of oaths and folemn affeverations; fordid attachment to mere pecuniary pre-eminence in preference and oppofition to moral character; universal ridicule, di

rected

rected against public spirit, and a sense of national honour; neglect of the obfequies and fepulchres of ancestors, with want of refpect for the defcendants and reprefentatives of great and useful citizens.

Finally, My Lords and Gentlemen, we have crowned the honours and fame of our twelve months labour by the inftitution of this anniversary meeting, where men of all ranks and fortune belonging to the society, or admitted by them for good causes, bleffed with ingenuity, and made noble and worthy of refpect by their manners, may fit down to a kindly and focial feast of literature and patriotism, arrayed in the manufactures of their country, and partake of the bounties of our native foil, without luxury, intemperance, or inadmiffible expence..

It will be, I hope, a feaft of fhells, where, regaled and amused by the mufic of other days, we will, in the fpirit and noble humanity of the great Caledonian Bard, now defamed and robbed, but not dishonoured, remember the glories and the triumphs of our anceftors, endeavouring to furpass them, by adding to their exalted fentiments of honour, all the proper refinements of modern politeness, and all the fruitful confequences of manners, humanised and adorned by the influences of a mild religion, and the fpirit of laws and customs, refined by philosophy, and a tafte for what is truly beautiful, fimple, and unaffected.

My Lords and Gentlemen, I will detain you no longer, but conclude with applying to this fociety, the two emphatic and dying words of a great and good man concerning his country, ESTO

PERPETUA..

ABSTRACT

ABSTRACT of the STATUTES of the Society of the Antiquaries of Scotland.

THE Officers of the Society are, a Prefident, five Vice-Presidents, a Treasurer, a Secretary, a Secretary for foreign correfpondence, a Latin and French Secretary, a Superintendant of Natural History, four Cenfors, two Auditors of accompts, a Council of feven, and three Curators. These Offices, upon vacancies or demiffions, are filled up by ballot on St Andrew's day, yearly.

CANDIDATES for admiffion are recommended, in writing, by three ordinary members, and admitted by ballot. Two thirds of the balls are requifite for admiffion.

THE Council are impowered to fuperintend and examine the accompts and funds of the Society, to recommend honorary members for election to the general meetings, and to tranfact all the ordinary business of the Society. Three of them are a quorum.

EACH member, at his admiffion, pays two Guineas to the funds of the Society, and one Guinea annually. The payment of twelve Guineas exempts a member from the annual payments.

THE names of donors, to the amount of Ten Pounds, are infcribed in fome confpicuous part of the hall of the Society. If a donation amounts to an Hundred Pounds value, the portrait of fuch donor shall be hung up in the hall, unless prohibited by him.

THE proceedings of the Society and of the council are regularly entered into the minute-book by the fecretary; and all papers given in are read in the order of their dates.

THE

THE number of ordinary members is restricted to One Hundred, exclufive of the office-bearers; and the death or refignation of a member is noted on the margin of his fubfcription to the Statutes, by the secretary.

THE ordinary meetings of the Society are held every second Tuesday, during the federunts of the Court of Seffion, and on the firft Tuesday of every month during the vacations of that Court. The Anniversary Festival is held on the 14th of November; and, in the absence of the President and Vice-Presidents, the senior member on the roll, the other officers excepted, is to take the chair.

THE principal objects of the Society are described in page 17th of this account.

THE Secretary is impowered to sign the Statutes for fuch honorary or correspondent members as are admitted into the Society.

N. B. The Royal Charter, after it has paffed the feals, will be added to this publication.