THIS Work was originally intended to be issued by the
Bannatyne and Abbotsford Clubs, and was partially proceeded with for
that purpose at the time they were dissolved; it has. therefore been
deemed advisable to produce the Work in a form which will range with the
publications of these Clubs. In the opinion of competent persons who
have examined the MS., it imparts more authentic and copious information
on public affairs at the period which it embraces than an)- other
record, apart from the Proceedings of the Privy Council. Of these
Proceedings it is at once supplementary and illustrative. The Earl of
Stirling, whose fame as a Poet has survived his reputation as a
Statesman, was one of the most remarkable men of his time. From James
VI., in 1621, he received a Royal Letter authorising him to establish a
Colony in the territory situated between New England and Newfoundland,
whereupon followed a Royal Charter under the Great Seal, appointing him
Lieutenant-General of the new Colony. Designated New Scotland, the
Colony embraced a large portion of Canada, also that Settlement which,
alter a century and a half, produced the State of New York. Consequent
on the plan for colonising New Scotland was
founded the Order of Nova Scotia Baronets, of which the early history
constitutes no unimportant part of "The Register."
"The Register" includes many entries illustrative of
Scottish social and domestic life in the earlier portion of the
seventeenth century; details relating to family history, and warrants
appointing to public offices; also a narrative of leading contemporary
events. The story of the debased coinage introduced by Charles I., and
of the attempt made in the same reign to thrust on the Churches of both
kingdoms a metrical translation of the Psalms, ascribed to King James,
is related with admirable minuteness ; while other strange episodes of
attempted legislation are set forth with chronological precision. Among
the details of general administration are numerous State Papers relating
to educational and ecclesiastical affairs; also in relation to commerce,
both at home and abroad, and the concerns of the Admiralty and Merchant
Shipping. There are numerous entries connected with the administration
of justice, appointments to offices of trust, and the levying of troops
for foreign service. As many of the Letters were directly inspired by
the King, the contents of "The Register" are, in relation to the
personal history both of James and Charles, especially valuable.
Politically, no Scottish MS. of the seventeenth century is more
essentially instructive.
Precious as one of the few authentic records of State
Proceedings in Scotland, at a period when the will of the Sovereign was
nearly paramount, and when royal favouritism had attained its zenith,
"The Register" embraces a record of public transactions from the year
1615 to 1635, more especially for the latter half of that period. The
Work, in other words, is a transcript of the Royal Letters,
Proclamations, Warrants, Instruments of Gift, and other documents issued
by Lord Stirling when he held office as Secretary of State for Scotland.
The Documents were entered in "The Register" by Lord Stirling's relative
and amanuensis, Alexander Alexander, whose services were latterly
compensated by his appointment to a Macership in the Court of Session.
There are three folio volumes, of which two are preserved in the
Advocates' Library, the third and most important in the General Register
House. When, on the ruin of his estate by his colonial enterprise, Lord
Stirling became embarrassed, two volumes of "The Register" fell to his
creditors; these were at length deposited in the Advocates' Library. The
remaining volume, in possession of William Trumbull of East Hampstead,
one of his descendants, was, in 1759, presented by that gentleman to
Major William Alexander, the American claimant of the title. The volume
afterwards got into the hands of Mr. John Caley, who, in 1 792,
presented it to Mr. Thomas Astle, the Archaeologist, by whom it was
handed to the Lord Clerk-Register, for preservation in the Register
House.
Prefixed to the Work is a Memoir of Lord Stirling,
together with an Historical Introduction embracing a narrative of the
events recorded or proceedings described in "The Register."
A copious Index of Persons, Subjects, and Places
is appended to the Work. As the impression is strictly confined to one
hundred and fifty copies, each copy will bear a number attested by the
Publisher. The two volumes are now offered to Subscribers at Five
Guineas for Small Paper and Ten Guineas for Large Paper Copies; and as
the impression is so limited, the Publisher has been instructed to
reserve the right of shortly increasing the price.
You can
download Volume 1 here! (31Mb)
You can download Volume 2 here!
(32Mb)