Stirling peerage

2*26 TRIAL OF ALEXANDER HUMPHRYS, OR ALEXANDER,
but that the seal should have been considered of such moment
in 1707, witliin a month oi' two after the letter was written, is
not so easy to divine. But there is here an important remark
to be made, — -if, as the prisoner says, his sister was in possession
of the seal from which all these several impressions were taken ;
if there is any forgery in any one of these documents; if we
connect the prisoner with this seal ; is this not a proof that
he was connected with these forgeries. How comes it that
this seal is in possession of his sister ; and how comes it that
this sister, being in the list of the prisoner's witnesses, has not
been brought forward to explain in regard to that seal ?
The next document to be found in the map is that detached
from it by Mr Lizars. The inscription on the tombstone
bears to be attested by a writing of date 6th October, 1723.
" This is a faithful copy of the inscription to the memory of John
Alexander, Esq. upon the tablet over his tomb at Newton-Ards,
county of Down, Ireland. Stratford-upon-Avon, October 6,
1723. W. C. Gordon, jun." Then there is another document
which bears no signature, but which is on the back of the map.
" This inscription lias been communicated by Madame de
Lambert. Since the death of Mr Alexander in 1712, this
lady has not ceased to bestow on the son of this distinguished
man marks of her good will and friendship. This son is
favourably known in England as a Protestant clergyman, and
a learned philologist. In tiie knowledge of oriental languages
he is almost without a rival. He is at the head of a college,
for the education of young clergymen, established at Stratford-
upon-Avon, in the county of Warwick." This, gentlemen, is
just another proof of the observation I have been making to you
throughout ; that it is impossible to conceive how all these things,
came to be accumulated liere for a purpose of the object of which
there is no trace whatever. You have Madame de Lambert
taking all this interest for nothing. She makes inquiries when
there is no occasion for it ; and what can be the meaning of
all this; but that these documents were accumulated to fill up
the links that were said by the Lord Ordinary to be wanting
in the prisoner's claim ? It is an extraordinary fact that,
on removing this document, there should be found an extract
from a letter of Fenelon, written in 1698, which you have
heard read. There is here an asterisk, which must have been
intended to refer to something; and at the bottom of John
Alexander's letter there is also an asterisk. You will look at
these, and you will see whether it is a matter you can bring
yourself to believe, that, at this point of time, all these
things should have been going on in 1706, in reference