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The Scottish Enlightenment

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    • James Adams
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    • James Macpherson
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    • James Adams (1737-1802)
    • John Ainslie (1745-1828)
    • James Beattie (1735-1803)
    • Hugh Blair (1718-1800)
    • William Brodie, known as Deacon Brodie, (1746-1788)
    • James Burnett, Lord Monboddo (1714-1799)
    • Alexander Carlyle (1722-1805)
    • James Craig (1739-1795)
    • William Creech (1745-1815)
    • George Drummond (1687-1766)
    • Sir Gilbert Elliot of Minto (1722-1777)
    • Adam Ferguson (1723-1816)
    • Robert Fergusson (1750-1774)
    • Sir Archibald Grant (1696-1778)
    • Alexander Geddes (1737-1802)
    • John Home (1722-1808)
    • David Hume (1711-1776)
    • Samuel Johnson (1709-1784)
    • Malcolm Laing (1762-1818)
    • Henry Mackenzie (1745-1831)
    • James Macpherson (1736-1796)
    • Sir Henry Raeburn (1756-1823)
    • Allan Ramsay (1713-1784)
    • William Shaw (1749-1831)
    • Thomas Sheridan (1719-1788)
    • Sir John Sinclair (1754–1835)
    • Adam Smith (1723-1790)
    • James Thomson (1700-1748)
  • Town
    Planning
    • Source 1: A proposal for keeping the streets clean, 1734-5
    • Source 2: Proposals for improving the city of Edinburgh, 1752
    • Source 3: Proposals for improving the city of Edinburgh, 1752
    • Source 4: James Craig’s design for the New Town, 1768
    • Source 5: Map showing the Old and New Towns of Edinburgh, 1780
    • Source 6: James Craig’s proposal for improving the eastern approach to the Old Town, 1786
    • Source 7: Description of Edinburgh from the Statistical Account of Scotland, 1791-1799
  • Encyclopaedia
    Britannica
    • Source 1: Title page to volume 1 of the first edition.
    • Source 2: Agriculture, volume 1 A-B, page 40
    • Source 3: Agriculture Plate IV, volume 1 A-B, page 41
    • Source 4: Mechanics, volume 1 M-Z, page 38
    • Source 5: Mechanics, volume 1 M-Z, plate CV
    • Source 6: Camelus or Camel, volume 1 A-B, page 13
    • Source 7: Bactrianus or Bactrian Camel, volume 1 A-B, Plate EIX
    • Source 8: Caricature of Andrew Bell and William Smellie by John Kay
  • Scotticisms
    • Source 1 : A list of Scotticisms by David Hume, first printed 1752
    • Source 2 : Lectures on the art of speaking English, 1761
    • Source 3 : A society for promoting the reading and speaking of English, 1761
    • Source 4 : Observations on the Scottish dialect by Sir John Sinclair, 1782
    • Source 5 : Teaching correct English to the young, 1799
    • Source 6 : The richness of the Scots language, 1792
    • Source 7 : In support of the Scots language, 1799
  • Statistical
    Account
    • Source 1: Sir John Sinclair’s description of compiling the ‘Statistical Account’
    • Source 2: Sir John Sinclair’s discussion of the term ‘statistics’
    • Source 3: Part of the report for the Parish of Monymusk
    • Source 4: Part of the report for the Parish of Wick
    • Source 5: Statistical table for the Parish of Culross
    • Source 6: Report for the Parish of East Kilbride
    • Source 7: Report for the Parish of Smailholm
  • Ossian
    • Source 1: Preface to ‘Fragments of ancient poetry’, 1760
    • Source 2: Preface to ‘Fingal’, 1761
    • Source 3: Letter from David Hume, 1763
    • Source 4: Samuel Johnson’s opinion of the poems, 1775
    • Source 5: An enquiry into the authenticity of the poems, 1781
    • Source 6: ‘Poems of Ossian’ edited by Malcolm Laing, 1805
    • Source 7: Highland Society of Scotland report, 1805
  • Clubs and
    Societies
    • Source 1: List of members of the Select Society
    • Source 2: Questions debated by the Select Society
    • Source 3: The aims of the Edinburgh Society
    • Source 4: A description of the Philosophical Society of Edinburgh, 1754
    • Source 5: Members of the Cape Club
    • Source 6: An account of the Cape Club
    • Source 7: Extract from the Highland Society of London Minute Book, 1784
    • Women and the Enlightenment
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Clubs and Societies

Source 2 : Extract from the Select Society question book

Manuscript (NLS reference: Adv MS.23.1.1)

Each member of the Select Society was able to propose a subject for debate which was then accepted or rejected by a system of voting. The accepted topics for debate were listed ‘in a book to be kept for that purpose’ – the question book shown here.

The Select Society was established in Edinburgh on 22 May 1754 by the painter Allan Ramsay. Weekly meetings were held in the Advocates’ Library, the forerunner of the National Library of Scotland. The aims of the society were ‘the pursuit of philosophical enquiry and the improvement of the members in the art of speaking’.

The society’s minute book, held in the National Library of Scotland, is a record of the weekly meetings and the topics that were debated.

thumbnail of clubs-societies-source-2

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Transcript

Page 1

Questions

to be debated in the Select Society.

Whether or not the practice of duelling be ad-

vantagious? – Debated.

Whether divorces by mutual consent should

be allowed? – Debated.

Whether the institution of slavery be ad-

vantagious to the free? – Debated.

Whether bounties on the exportation

of corn be advantagious to trade and ma-

nufactures as well as to agriculture?

– Debated.

Whether corporations and exclusive

companies for trade are advantagious

to the members of these corporations and

companies?

Whether moderate taxes are a dis-

couragement to trade, industry and

manufactures?

Whether a general naturalization of

foreign Protestants would be advantagi-

ous to Britain? – Debated.

Whether


Discussion Points

How useful is this source for providing information about the range of interests of the Select Society?

  • Previous
  • Next
  • Source 1
    List of members of the Select Society
  • Source 2
    Questions debated by the Select Society
  • Source 3
    The aims of the Edinburgh Society
  • Source 4
    A description of the Philosophical Society of Edinburgh, 1754
  • Source 5
    Members of the Cape Club
  • Source 6
    An account of the Cape Club
  • Source 7
    Extract from the Highland Society of London Minute Book, 1784

See the discussion points

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