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1837; as also a letter from W. W. Pearson, Esq. the gentleman who is stated to have transcribed the copy of the documents sent to France to Lord Stirling, dated January 25, 1839, of which letters and certificate copies are annexed.

(Signed) THO. THOMSON.

LETTER from Messrs Tennant, Harrison, and Tennant, Solicitors, London, to Lieut.- Col. W. L. Maberly.

His

SIR, Gray's Inn, 14th Jan. 1839. The enclosed letter contained a document of great importance, which was produced by the Earl of Stirling on his examination in the Court of Session at Edinburgh. Lordship was afterwards requested to produce the letter containing the document. And on producing the enclosed,. an objection was taken that the enclosed, being charged a single postage in London, could not contain the document produced in Court. It appears, however, that the French postage is for a double letter; and we have to request you will please to direct a certificate to be granted, that although a single postage only was charged in London, yet that, from the French post-mark, it is believed the enclosed letter did contain an enclosure. We remain, Sir, your very obedient

servants,

(Signed)

TENNANT, HARRISON, AND TENNANT.

Order of Reference to Mr Wagstaff.

Mr Wagstaff will have the goodness to explain the postmarks on the accompanying letter to the gentleman who brings this letter.

By order of Col. Maberly,

(Signed) F. ABBOTT.

CERTIFICATE by Mr Wagstaff, President of the Foreign Department of the General Post-Office, London.

The figure 10 on the right hand upper corner of the letter is the postage charged by this office against that of France, (10d.) the 30 is the postage charged in France to the party to whom the letter is addressed, (30 decimes,) which is the

postage usually charged for a double letter in that country, (France.)

It is not improbable, then, a double letter may have been passed in this office as single.

Foreign Post-Office,

14th Jan. 1839.

(Signed) C. D. WAGSTAFF.

The letter bears the London stamp of the 24th April, 1837.

(Signed) C. D. W.

LETTER from William Wilberforce Pearson, Esq. to Mr Charles Alexander, Son of the Earl of Stirling.

MY DEAR ALEXANDER,

Scraptoft Hall, near Leicester, 25th January, 1839.

You request me to write word of all that I remember respecting a copy which I once made of some evidence which came through M. De Porquet; and also if I recollect any thing respecting the paper which I used for the purpose.

Your brother Eugene called upon me in Golden Square one Saturday evening in April, two years ago, informed me of having obtained some new evidence, and requested me to call upon him the following morning, in order that he might shew it to me. I did so. The packet was a small one, enclosed in a case of vellum, having "Some of my wife's family papers" inscribed on it. I offered to assist him in making copies of it, and perfectly remember making him hunt about every where to find me the largest sheet of paper he could, in order that I might get the whole of it in without difficulty. When I had completed it, I saw your brother Eugene write a letter to your father, and putting up the two letters together, (viz. my copy, and his letter,) seal them, and direct them to your father at Paris. I can swear to this, because I remarked to him at the time the great expense of sending such a double letter to Paris. He sealed at the same time some other letters to Scotland, &c. and we left his lodgings together, with the letters, in order that he might put them into the post. I once more repeat, that I saw him put up together and seal my copy of the evidence and his letter to Lord Stirling.

I fear I should have a bad chance in Edinburgh if engaged in a law-suit, for I have now in this portfolio four different

kinds of writing paper, and two different kinds of foreign letter paper in my closet of two different sizes.

If my statement can be of any service to you, I shall be very glad; but I trust it will not force me to come to Scotland at such a season, leaving Angela and the children quite unprotected and alone. Believe me, yours very sincerely, W. W. PEARSON.

(Signed)

No. IX.

*

Copy of the Minutes of Election of James, Viscount of Strathallan, as one of the Sixteen Peers of Scotland, in the room of the deceased Alexander, Earl of Balcarres.

At the Palace of Holyrood House, in Edinburgh, the 2nd day of June, 1825, in obedience to His Majesty's royal proclamation, of date, at Carlton House, the 20th day of April last, commanding all the Peers of Scotland to assemble and meet, at this place, this day, between the hours of twelve and two in the afternoon, to nominate and choose a Peer of Scotland, to sit and vote in the House of Peers of this present Parliament of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, in the room of Alexander, Earl of Balcarres, deceased; the Peers of Scotland did assemble between the hours of twelve and two in the afternoon, and the meeting was opened with prayer.

The said proclamation, and certificate of publication thereof at the market-cross of Edinburgh, the 6th day of May last, were read; after which the Lord Register's commission, nominating Sir Walter Scott, Baronet, and Colin Mackenzie, Esquire, two of the principal Clerks of Session, and in case of their absence, any other two of the said principal Clerks of Session, to be Clerks of the Meeting, dated the 21st, and registered in the books of Session the 24th day of May last, was produced. The long or great roll of the Peers of Scotland was called over, except those that stand attainted of high

* Register of Elections of Peers, Vol. II. fol. 228.

treason. Upon the title of Earl of Mar being called, Lord Nairne protested in the same terms as at the election of Lord Napier, on the 8th of July, 1824, respecting the place of the Earl of Mar on the roll.

Upon the title of EARL OF STIRLING being called, Alexander Humphrys Alexander claimed to vote as EARL Of Stirling, as being heir male of the body of HANNAH, COUNTESS OF STIRLING, who was lineally descended from WILLIAM, FIRST EARL OF STIRLING, and who died on the 20th day of September, 1814, and thereby, under the destination of a royal charter or letters patent of Novo-Damus, under the Great Seal of Scotland, dated 7th December, 1639, granted by His Majesty King Charles the First, in favour of WILLIAM, EARL OF STIRLING, entitled to the honours and dignity of EARL OF STIRLING; and his vote was received by the clerks. The Peers who answered to their titles, were the Earls of Stirling,

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The oaths and declarations required by law were administered to, and subscribed by, the Peers present.

There was produced a proxy by the Earl of Mar to Lord Nairne.

There were produced signed lists by the Peers following, directed to the Lord Clerk Register, or Clerks officiating at the meeting; and with these lists, the documents and instructions of the Peers subscribing, being qualified as by law directed.

Signed lists by the Duke of Athol,

Earls of Moray,

of Kellie,

of Elgin,
of Aboyne,
of Dunmore,

of Rosebery,

Viscounts of Kenmure,

of Arbuthnott,

Lords Gray,
Cathcart.

There was made out a list of the Peers present, of the proxy, and signed lists; and the votes of the Peers present being called for, they all voted for James, Viscount of Strathallan. Lord Nairne, as proxy for the Earl of Mar, voted for James, Viscount of Strathallan. And the signed lists, having been examined, were all found to name James, Viscount of Strathallan. Thereafter, the Clerks officiating having collected the votes of the Peers present, and of the proxy, and votes given in the lists, they made the certificate or return of the election, which they signed and sealed in the presence of the Peers electors, in favour of James, Viscount of Strathallan, to sit and vote as one of the sixteen Peers of Scotland in the present Parliament of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, in the room of Alexander, Earl of Balcarres, deceased; and of the said return the Clerks officiating signed two duplicates on parchment, one to be immediately transmitted to the Clerk of the Crown, directed to him at his office, Chancery-lane, London; and the other, to guard against any accident happening to the first, and in the mean time, to be placed among the records in His Majesty's General Register House, to manifest this election.

The meeting then dissolved with prayer.

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Extracted from the Records in His Majesty's General Register House, upon this and the six preceding pages of stamped paper, by me, one of the keepers of these records, having commission for that effect from the Lord Clerk Register,

WILLIAM ROBERTSON.

The election is thus certified by the Clerks of Session to the Court of Chancery, viz.

"At Holyrood House, in Edinburgh, the second day of June, one thousand eight hundred and twenty-five years, in obedience to His Majesty's Royal proclamation, of the date at Carlton-house, the twentieth day of April last, commanding all the Peers of Scotland to assemble and meet at this place this day, between the hours of twelve and two in the afternoon, to nominate and choose a Peer of Scotland, to sit and vote in the House of Peers of this present Parliament of the United

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