Gordons of Nethermuir

40
at ; and by having my publick collection
interleaved and bound up with clean paper,
it will be so easy for every gentleman to
write private remarks and memoirs of his
own, that I hope posterity may be thereby
enabled to come at the real Truth, and to
see every material transaction of this Age
in a full, clear, and genuine light. . . .
"As many things are published in our
newspapers at the request, and often at the
expence, of the Parties concerned, and as
something of this kind may hereafter be
desired of me, I think myself obliged . . .
to give notice that no such thing is to be
expected even by those who are my best
Friends. I shall think myself very much
obliged to every gentleman that will take
the trouble to send me. an account of any
important occurrence or the copy of any
material paper : but those who do me this
favour will, I hope, pardon me if I do not
publish the account exactly as they send it,
or, if I omit giving a place in my 'Annals'
to every paper communicated to me for that
purpose."
The "Annals" are very carefully compiled,
but so far as I have examined them, they
contain nothing to identify the compiler
except, perhaps, a long account of a destruc-
tive thunder-and-lightning storm at Grant-
field (now Midmar) Castle.
This series was followed by a more original
work ep''tled: —
"The History of our National Debts and
Taxes. From the year MDCLXXXVIII to
the present year MDCCLI." London,
I7S 1 5 printed for Mr Cooper at the Globe,
in Paternoster Row: part i., 88pp.: part ii.,
164pp., price 2/-; part hi., 144pp., price 2/-:
part iv., 185pp., price 2/6.
The outlook of the author may be gauged
from the following prefatory note: —
"I hope it [the book] will establish a
maxim observed by all wise Nations, but