but justice to acknowledge, has been owing to the influence of Christianity, and particularly of the catholic religion. The popes encouraged the emancipation of slaves, by various indemnifications of a spiritual nature.

Whilst at Clackmannan, I went one day into the church-yard to amuse myself with the inscriptions on the tomb-stones. Though this town contains not above five hundred inhabitants; yet, as the parish is large, and some of the parishioners rich, I observed some curiously-carved monuments with flattering inscriptions. Among the Egyptians, there was a law, that none could be praised after his death, unless his character had been approved. When, therefore, any person died, his body was taken before the public judge. If it was found that the deceased had lived soberly and virtuously, had avoided crimes, and done good, his friends were at liberty to put on his tomb what they pleased; but, if he was found to have acted improperly, they were not allowed to say any thing in his favour, nay, it was death to do so. How far the dead here deserved all the fine things said of them, I know not.

Upon seeing in the corner of the church-yard a stone of peculiar construction, I went to see it, but I found the inscription almost totally effaced. Upon decyphering it I was both shocked and pleased; shocked at the cruelty of our forefathers, and pleased at the thought that we live in happier times. The poor man interred here, whose initials are C-G it seems, went one day to the castle, asking charity. He was desired by the haughty lord, who inhabited it, and who happened to be looking over one of the windows, to go to hell,

To this the poor man replied, I need not go there, I am just come from it. And pray what is going on there? Why, my lord, they are playing the same game there as here, taking in the rich, and holding out the poor. For this, no doubt, saucy reply, the man was immediately seized; and a roasted egg being put under each arm-pit, and his arms tied down, he was tormented till he died.

The tradition is, that this monumental stone was not erected till many years after the death of the tyrant of Clackmannan; which is indeed almost certain: otherwise there would have probably been a farther application of roasted eggs.

One day I went to see Sir John de Graham's sword, which is kept at the head inn here, as a curiosity. It has, no doubt, the appearance of a sword, but is so long, thick, and heavy, that I am apt to think, strong as Sir John, no doubt, was, this would have been an unwieldy weapon even in his hands. It is absurd to argue as they do here, that, though this sword be unwieldy to men at the present day, it might not have been so in the days of Sir John, when men were much stronger than they are now. Men are, have been, and always will be nearly the same. The statue of Cicero, at Oxford, which I have seen, and which was made near two thousand years ago, is not bigger than an ordinary man at present. The famous Venus de Medicis, thought to be the finest statue in the world, and which was made by Praxiteles about four hundred years before the birth of our Saviour, is not more than five feet three inches high, in a bending posture, or what is termed the attitude of modesty, and which

is the common stature of women at this day. And the statues of the kings and queens of England, preserved in the Tower of London, from William the Conqueror to George I. a range of near eight hundred years, are all nearly the size of our present most gracious sovereign George III. who does not appear to be six feet high.

Tillicoultry, a parish in this neighbourhood, I found, had been rather unfortunate in its clergymen. One of these having lived much respected among his parishioners for fifteen years, lost his living for having been too familiar with his maid servant. The parishioners and people around often advised his successor to marry, lest HE, TOO, should fall into temptation, but he would not. However, notwithstanding the fate of his predecessor, he also was obliged to give up his living; his maid servant either having been seduced by him, or been the seducer.

In the county of Clackmannan, I found as good level roads as any in the kingdom. Indeed, the gentlemen, in this part of the county, deserve much praise for their attention in this particular. In England, as well as Scotland, the roads are often turned round for miles to accommodate some great man, and not interfere with his park and pleasure-grounds; thus sacrificing the ease and conveniency, not only of the present, but of future generations. For instance, at the Duke of Marlborough's Park, Oxfordshire, the Duke of Portland's, and the Duke of Gordon's, Bamfshire. There, no doubt, must be different ranks in, society, and every attention is due to the great and the good; but how far they ought to ask such a favour, and it is prudent for

thousands, in compliance with their request, day after day, and year after year, to go miles about, when a nearer and more direct line road lies through a great man's parks, I leave others to judge.

The roads in this county are in the very best line of direction. What would the gentlemen of Clackmannanshire say to a shamefully circuitous road on the very verge of London? and that not for even so desirable an end as the preservation of parks and pleasure-grounds, or the gratification of any man living. At Chelsea, within a mile of the Queen's Palace, in order not to disturb the ashes of Sir Hans Sloane, who was buried, I believe, near a century ago, the high road is turned a great way, and thousands daily are obliged to go out of their course, not to disturb the ashes of this philosopher. As there is nothing grand, nor very elegant about this monument; and as his ashes are in a lead coffin, would it not be doing a proper, as well as a good action to remove them to some other place? Nay, if Sir Hans, who was a good man, were living, and saw so many thousands every day obliged to go są far about, it being the business of a philosopher to do all the possible good he can to others, would he not be sorry to see his neighbours day after day taking so much trouble without doing even one particle of good to him? It is shameful, it is unfeeling, in a great man, because he has a few deer and dogs he is fond of, to sit like an Indian nabob, or a Spanish don, and see, day after day, and year after year, thousands go miles about, that he and his pampered domestics may not be disturbed.

In new modelling the roads of a county, like every

thing else, the interest of the public, not of individuals, should preponderate; and commissioners of supply should not, though it is often the case, for the sake of a good dinner, and the favour of a great man, make the roads go about, when a plain, nearer, and better line can be found.

In many parts both of Scotland and England, the muirs, or commons, belonging to parishes, owing, indeed, sometimes, to the people not agreeing among themselves as to the division and modes of enclosure, lie shamefully waste, and scarcely good for any thing.

Not many years ago the common belonging to this place, consisting of some hundred acres, was covered with broom, furze, and the like, and not worth ten pounds sterling a year; but having agreed to inclose and divide it, the inhabitants have it now in a high state of cultivation, and find it an ample source of advantage. Though too many magistrates and others, like William the Conqueror, seem to delight in having large tracts of land lying uncultivated, yet, fortunately, there are others who think more wisely, and strain every nerve that commons belonging to parishes, and waste grounds near burghs, should be brought into a state of cultivation.

Leaving Clackmannan, I proceeded about twenty miles eastward to Kilbeggie, where there is one of the largest distilleries in Britain, perhaps in Europe: and where, if I am not misinformed, twenty years ago, they offered fifty thousand pounds yearly, and not to enlarge their premises, if government would free them: from the torment of excise officers. But this offer was rejected,